Final Fantasy X Novelization
by PointZero
Summary: A young mans home is attacked and he wakes up to find himself 1000 years in the future. This is my novelization of Final Fantasy X please R&R. On TEMP HIATUS!
1. Listen to my story

**Disclaimer: I do no own Final Fantasy X, it's characters and ect...**

Please tell me if my story is any good, harsh criticism is welcomed... any criticism is welcomed actually. Thanks and enjoy. Sorry the prologue is short, but...well... it is. **  
**

** Prologue**

The sun was setting casting its orange glow upon the ruins, making the water that surrounded them blaze as if on fire.

_This should be beautiful_, he thought but looking at the sullen faces of his companions... no, his friends, he could see that no one was enjoying the sight. The seven of them sat in a circle surrounding the small fire that quietly blazed as if it too felt the over looming gloom, the sadness that followed each of them. He glanced and the ruins around him and almost saw them whole again, like on those carefree nights before coming to Spira. He shook his head and stood up, turning towards the dying sun. The story was coming to a close and he felt like there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Passing by Yuna, he placed a hand on her shoulder squeezing lightly as to say I'll protect you. She looked up at him and smiled, nodding her head as though she had heard his very thoughts. He walked to the edge of the embankment, willing the sun to stay, to make this moment last forever. But still, it refused to heed his plea and continued its slow decent.

After all they had gone through, all the bloodshed, the fear, the endless betrayals, it was finally going to end, but for what? The people would be blind, to forever live in ignorance of their false religion. Yuna would become just another summoner; no one would ever know what she had gone through, what she had lost in her journey to protect them. He wanted them to know, to understand all the was being sacrificed for them...

_Listen to my story. This may be our last chance._


	2. Chaos

**Hey thanks for reading! Now the style for this chapter is kinda weird, and it's a bit different from the later chapters, but I'm having a hard time trying to edit it. Chances are I'll just end up re-writing the whole thing, so bear with me till I have time to do so.**

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The large city, alight with the glow of the many buildings and their residents, was bustling with activity as the night approached. Even the stars reflecting off the water that surrounded it seemed charged with excitement and expectation.

The crowd surrounded the small house, waiting for the hero to emerge. And as if on que, he appeared before them, basking in their admiration. No one noticed the small hooded child that joined the crowd, the hero had seen him but payed him no mind, just another adoring fan.

_Waiting for the star player to arrive I see_ he gloated as his fans surrounded him, many just wanting to be near him and all wishing him luck for the big game, _like I need it_ he thought. At 17 he was the youngest player in the city, and the current star player for the Zanarkand Abes, the sectors home team.

"Yeah! We're cheering for you!"

"Are you gonna show us that shot tonight?"

"I've been a big fan of yours. From the very beginning!"

"You're Jecht's son! I'd be crazy not to cheer for you!" He had to stop himself from flinching as his fathers name came up. 10 years later his old man still haunted him; but he wasn't going to mess up this time just because of that.

Two young woman inched their way closer to him, easily catching his attention.

"Can I have your autograph?" Both hold out their blitzballs for him to sign.

"Sure," and with his well rehearsed hand he signs them -Tidus.

"Good luck tonight!" The both giggle, but neither move away.

"Nothing to worry about! Oh, if I score a goal... I'll do this!" He raised his arms in a self proclaimed victory "That will mean it was for you, okay?" both girls burst into shy, anticipating giggles, their faces a deep red.

_Hmm... The red head is cute, but so is the one with the pink top maybe... can I have both?_ "What seat?" he asked.

"East block in the front row!" The one in pink said almost shouting in triumph.

"Fifth from the right!" cried the other, voice teeming with excitement.

"Got it!" He smiled at them and they both let out a small squeal of glee.

Three young boys pushed past the girls, forcing them to back away from the star. All hold out their blitz balls for him to inscribe.

"Can you sign this?" The first one begs, as though expecting a no.

"No prob!" Tidus smiled at the boy as he autographed._ Geez these ball are hard to sign_, he sighed to himself as he navigated the many grooves in the ball. The balls were blue and white and covered in large bumps that helped the players hold onto it underwater, but made it near impossible to write on.

"Me too!" the other cried, pushing the other boys ball out of the way.

"Take it easy." The second boy looked sheepish as Tidus hurried to finish the first autograph, and started on the second, then finally getting to the third.

The boys stared at the autographs in wonder, then glanced at each other knowingly; Tidus caught it. _Oh great what are they going to ask?_ Not being the first time this has happened he braced himself._ Maybe I can just..._

"Uh, Well, gotta go! Cheer for me!" he tried to get past the adoring crowd, but the boys block his path.

"... two, three! Teach us how to blitz!" They cry in sync.

_Geez what timing!_ "Hey, I got a game to play"

"Then teach us after!" _uhg... great... _"Maybe tonight...um...well..." _No... I wanted to spend tonight with those girls..._

A small voice came from his left, saving him. "You can't tonight." It was the hooded child who spoke, Tidus was a little creeped out at how final it sounded, but shrugged it off. "I mean... Tomorrow."

All three looked downcast at having their coaching session put off, "Promise?" they ask.

"Promise!" he smiled, but a sudden feeling of dread washed over him at those words, and he had a sudden feeling that this lesson would be put off for a while.

The three boys oblivious to his sudden concern, bowed in a familiar sign of victory. Although he felt bothered by the premonition, glancing at the time on the board nearby snapped him right out of it. _Man I'm going to be late!_

He took off running to the stadium only slowing down as he passed a memorial on a large screen. The picture was a familiar one, and Tidus scoffed at it before moving on. An announcers voice could be heard on the speakers scattered around the city. Tidus only had to listen an few seconds to know what was being said, before tuning it out.

"I was in a coffee shop, running away from home when I heard the news. Our hero, Jecht, gone. Vanished into thin air! My dad must have been his biggest fan. I knew how sad he'd be. Heck, we all were that day.  
"Zanar," I says to myself, "What are you thinking?" I went running straight back home. We sat up talking 'bout Jecht all night. My dad and I never talked so much.  
Whoa... Didn't mean to reminisce, folks. Anyway... Ten years later, the Jecht Memorial Cup tournament is today! The two teams that have won through to the finals are...of course, the Abes from A-East, and the Duggles from C-South.  
I know there's a lot of people out there today to see the star of the Abes! In just one year, he's become the team's number one player! He's Jecht's blood, and the new hope of blitzball! What kind of super play will he show us today? Will we see his father's legendary shot? I don't think I'm the only one excited here, folks!"

_Hmph, they're always comparing me to him, liked I'd use a shot thought up by him!_ Any concern from earlier was replaced by annoyance and a fierce hate, I_"ll show them how much better I am then him!_

As he reached the stadium, he was almost overrun by fans. "Make way, make way! Coming through, sorry! Hey, I'm gonna be late! Hey, let go of me!" After much struggling he made it through the gates and ran to the locker room. _Geez I almost didn't make it, they were vicious! _Exasperated he went into the center of the stadium to get ready.

--

A man in a long red coat stands at the edge of a building overlooking the city and the stadium. He watches as a large form rises from the ocean. Reaching for a jug of nog he keeps at his hip, he holds it out as if saluting the monstrosity. The force surrounding the monster starts to pull at the buildings and various other machina about.

--

The game begins, as hollering fans cheer on their teams. In a flurry the players rush each other grabbing for the ball, a member of the Duggles grabs the ball and is about to take shot when she is tackled and flung from the globe of water in which the game is played. Tidus watches her with a smug smile on his face.

--

People run screaming from the creature, pushing past the man in red. He walks slowly towards the stadium, oblivious to the chaos surrounding him.

--

The ball is passed from player to played and the shot is taken, upping the score to 1-0 in favor of the Abes. The stadium all but shakes from the cheers of the fans in the audience. A member of the abes kicks the ball up and Tidus rushes to preform his new finishing move._ Ha this one is defiantly not my old mans_, he smiles as he goes in for the shot.

The creature watches, then out from his cocoon of water, it shoots three blasts of energy into the crowd of spectators. In the air, Tidus sees the attack coming, and as stadium is hit he is able to grab onto a ledge nearby. More projectiles are shot at the stadium and its surrounding buildings, and in the pandemonium, Tidus' grip falters and he falls into the rubble.

--

**Thanks everyone for reading this! I left out the beggining of the Blitzball game out because as cool as it looked in the game, everytime I tried to write it out it just came out...sounding silly. Please review so I know the best way to make the next chapters. I'll keep a close eye and read these often to catch any mistakes.**


	3. We call it Sin

_Uhg...my head..._

The screams, that was the first thing he noticed; upon opening his eyes, the bodies were next. They were scattered about, entangled with the rubble from what had been the stadium.

_What happened..? That thing...what was it..?_

Looking at the horror that surrounded him, he felt numb. It didn't feel real, it couldn't be real; nothing like this had ever happened before or...ever!

Grimacing he tried to stand. Despite the fall, he seemed relatively uninjured, but he found he couldn't move. He stood there watching the water from the stadium intertwine and run red with blood. In what now was just a small stream it flowed away from the rubble down into the street, where the survivors were hastily trying to get away from the madness that had consumed the city. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a flash of red and a familiar face.

"Auron! What are you doing here?" In his panic, Tidus failed to notice how calm the man looked.

"I was waiting for you."

Tidus froze, something about the way Auron had spoken...it wasn't right.

"What...What are you talking about..?" But already Auron had begun to walk away. Trying his best not to trip on the rubble Tidus raced after his mentor.

The thing that had attacked the city could be seen clearly hovering above the chaos, as though it was waiting for something. The buildings, machinery, and even the water was being pull towards the creature, as though it supported it own gravitational force. Yet despite calamity that continued to ravage the city, He found that both he and Auron were headed straight towards it. Panicked citizens pushed past him, eager to get away, but before he could think to call out to Auron, everything stopped.

There was nothing. No noise. The people around him stood frozen in place and even the heat from the fires nearby could not be felt.

_This...This is a dream... a nightmare...it can't be real..._

"It begins" a voice behind him announced. Looking behind him, he saw it was the hooded child from earlier.

_no, not just then...he was always..._

"Wha?" His head was pounding, nothing was making any sense.

The child watched him.

"Don't cry" He spoke as though apologizing; then he was gone and everything came rushing back. Tidus stood there, speechless and at a total loss as to what was going on.

"What the..." he mumbled to himself, unsure of what else to say, to think.

Looking back the way he had been going, he spotted Auron up ahead, waiting for him.

"H-Hey wait!" Tidus tried to catch his breath, his headache was making him dizzy and he tried to focus "Not that- Hey!"

Auron had already started forward and Tidus, frustrated, followed. When they came to the end of the walkway, Auron stopped and glanced up the creature.

"Look" Tidus watched it unsure as Auron continued "we call it Sin" he spoke almost apathetically.

"Sin..." The name was fitting, but he wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

--

Sin watched the ruined city and the people fleeing from its wake; it was unsure. It wanted stop, to leave them but it felt compelled to continue its rampage. Shaking its fin, Sin let the scales fall from its body the waited.

--

Tidus watched as the scales fell, one almost landing on him.

"What is it doing- ahh!" Tidus jumped back as the scale shook and uncurled itself, forming small insect-looking fiend. It surveyed its surroundings then lunged at the hapless boy. He tried to dodge, but the creature collided with him, throwing him back.

"Take it" Auron said sternly, holding a sword above Tidus. Grabbing on to the handle, Auron hefted the boy to his feet and let go. The weight of the weapon surprised him and he almost dropped it.

"A gift from Jecht" Auron unsheathed the large sword on his back an struck the fiend.

"A gift from...my father..?"

_But how? Its been almost te-_

"Tidus!" Auron shouted at him, shaking his from his thoughts. One of the scales had rushed at him and he brought the sword down just in time. Looking about him, he saw they were surrounded.

"Don't bother going after all of them. Cut the ones that matter, and run!" Auron started forward, intent on going towards Sin, and Tidus reluctantly followed. They were large in number, but weak and the duo had no trouble clearing a path. Continuing on, they passed the large memorial as in sunk further into the ruined city.

"What are you laughing at, old man?" Tidus sneered at they passed.

"We're expected" Auron said less casually this time.

"Huh, what are- wow!" Before them was what must have been over a hundred of the scales and looking back, those that they had not disposed of had gathered.

"Hmph. This could be bad" The fiends watched, waiting for the pair to make the first move. Auron glanced around him, looking for a way out; he turned to Tidus.

"That--knock it down!" he pointed to a tanker on the right.

"What!?"

"Trust me. You'll see." With that he started on the scales, cutting down those that rushed at the boy.

Tidus ran to the tank and used his sword to cut at the wires binding it. He was knocked down as a huge explosion came from beneath, where the tanker had landed, the bridge began to sink and the scales having lost their balance tumbled off.

"Go!" Auron shouted at him running for the connecting bridge. Tidus sprinted for it and jumped, grabbing on to the broken ledge.

"Auron! Auron! Help!" His grip was faltering, and he was sure he was going to fall, but the older man just stood there, looking up at Sin.

"Are you sure" He asked.

_Who is he talking too? Why won't he help me!_

Suddenly he is hoisted up, Auron dangling him above the wreckage. A strange light fills everything around him and soon all he can see is Auron.

"This is it. This is your story. It all begins here" with that Auron dissipates into the light. Screaming, Tidus too is enveloped into the light and all goes dark.

--

"Hey!"

"HEY!"

"What..." the voice was so familiar, but from where...wait... "Is that...My...old man"  
Tidus opened his eyes and found himself suspended above the ruined Zanarkand. Every thing was frozen in place, but it was fuzzy and distorted.

_Am I dying?_

Down below him he saw a figure, a child standing on a platform. He tried to move down, to see who was there.

_No...it can't be..._

It was him, when he was 7. The boy was crying and didn't seem to notice him; but as he reached out to touch the child everything started to fade. Tidus found his eyes involuntarily closing as sleep enveloped him.

He dreamt; and in his dream he was alone, there was no one else, just himself and the darkness that surrounded him.

--

_Its so cold..._

For the second time that day he awoke cold, wet and totally confused; he was laying on a slab of rock, surrounded by water. He sat up and looked around him, and saw gray sky's and even grayer water. Turning around he found himself staring at an old building; one that was falling apart from the harsh environment and neglect.

"Hey! Anybody here?...Auron?" His only response was silence; his sword was lying next to him and he slipped it on his back, wedged between his shirt and the rubber straps of his uniform.

He started as he slipped into the freezing water, biting his lip as to not cry out. Hurriedly he swam to the platform leading to the entrance. The building looked more then just abandoned, it look condemned and as he stepped further towards it the walkway collapsed beneath him, sending him plummeting back into the frigged waters.

"Dammit! This...how can this get any worse..." Everything was so messed up right now, he felt like crying.

He glanced around him and spotted...nothing. There was no way back up and no other entrances. He punched the water around him in anger, and didn't stop until he heard a large crash behind him. Looking in the direction of the sound, he spotted the culprit; it was a fish, a very large fish and it rushed at him, its mouth gaping wide open, ready to swallow him whole. He was lucky as the fiend was slow, he was able to get out of the way in time. The creature crashed in to the side of the building, but quickly recovered and came back at him. As the fish moved away from the wall, Tidus spotted his way out. A large hole had been created from the impact and he swam towards it frantically. The fiend saw his prey escaping and with new found speed, it rushed at him sucking up everything in front of it. He was being pulled back into the gaping mouth, when the fiend suddenly exhaled, throwing him forward into the building.

Tidus stood up and looked back to see rubble come crashing down, sealing his entrance. Impossibly, is seemed to be colder in here then outside and his cloths were already starting to stiffen and freeze.

"Great, out of the frying pan...and into the freezer" he climbed the broken steps and found himself in a large room; There was some wood and old plants scattered around, and after looking through one of the drawers of an old table, he was also able to find a flint. Using these, he managed to start a small fire in the middle of the room. He heard a large growl and reached for his sword, but he realized it was just his stomach.

"I need food!" But even as the words came out he found himself once again falling into an unwelcomed sleep.

_"What do you want?" Tidus sneered at Auron _

_"It was a bad call. Your team lost because of you," he told the boy.  
_

_"You came to say THAT?" He was starting to get really pissed.  
_

_"It's been...ten years. I thought you'd be crying" the humor in his voice caught him off guard.  
_

_"Who, me"  
_

_Then Auron was gone and in his place stood the hooded child. "You cried."_

He awoke suddenly and after remembering the days previous events, sighed. Even his dreams were tormenting him.

CLICK

Tidus looked around for the source of the sound and found himself staring at one angry looking fiend. The creature walked on all fours, which where composed of very long blades.

"Aww...Gimme a break!" He reached for his sword, but the fiend was too quick. Tidus barely managed to dodge the creatures long blade as it came crashing down from above and soon it became a crude game of tag.

The front entrance exploded inward and both human and fiend froze. In came four people, covered head to toe in clothing and masks and carrying guns. The smallest one pulled him aside and reaching into the pockets of the suit, pulled out a grenade. They pushed him down and threw it at the fiend. The creature blew apart instantly and the threat was over.

"Whew! That was close" he smiled at his savior, but was thrown to the ground by one of the larger men. "Hey, lemme go!"

"Fryd ec drec?" _-What is this?_

_What..._

"Y veaht! Eh risyh teckieca!" _-A fiend! In human disguise!_

"Fa gemm ed?" Tidus didn't know what they were saying, but he got the message when they pointed their guns at him. He closed him eyes and waited. _-We kill it?_

"Fyed! Fryd ev ed ec risyh?" The voice was small and obviously feminine, Tidus looked up and found himself looking at his rescuer, but the men with her continued to argue. One of them spoke, but Tidus couldn't catch what he had said, but the severity of it was not lost on him. _-Wait! What if it is human?_

"E vunpet ed! Fa pnehk ed fedr ic" The girl spoke again and it was final...whatever 'it' was. She walked up to him and whispered in his ear, 'cunno' before kneeing him in the stomach. She walked away and he saw the others coming for him before he blacked out._ - I forbid it! We bring it with us. - Sorry_

---------------------------------

**Thanks everybody for reading. Im sorry for any mistakes I made, I'll try and catch them as I go. As you may have noticed, I altered the dialogue a bit to give Tidus a bit more... humanism. Tell me what you think as I know fans can be pretty picky about these kind of things. Also I left out the find-the-wood-and-flint mission for obvious reasons. Enjoy and please R&R!**


	4. The underwater ruins

"What were you doing out there?" A soft voice asked "Those ruins they...why am even asking, you can't hear me."

She watched the prisoner sleep. Despite the cold air of their surroundings, the captain wouldn't let him in the cabin and so he was left out on the ships bow. The only reason they hadn't killed him was because she was the captains sister, but that was as far as they would go. The mistrust was understood, even expected considering, but still..

"I don't get it," how anyone could have even gotten all the way out there was lost to her, so instead she opted to continue trying (unconsciously?) to figure him out.

He looked about her age, maybe a bit older, but not by much and his layered hair was blond like hers, but unnaturally so. She hadn't had a good look at his eyes when she had first seen him, but he should be awake soon. She thought he looked kinda cute sleeping, like a little kid.

She glanced over as the door to the bridge opened, reveling two of her comrades from earlier. They positioned themselves on either side of the prisoner and motioned for her to return inside. Reluctantly she left him in their care.

---

Tidus awoke with a sense of deja vu and once more he opened his eyes only to be staring at...water. He tried to stand when he was struck across his head and strange yet familiar words came at him.

"Ced, lybdeja!" _-Sit, captive!_

Tidus felt the anger rise up inside him, "Hey, that hurts!" He turned to his captors, only to find the barrel of a large gun pointed at his face.

"Hu sujehk, rayn?" The gunman asked him in disdain. _-No moving, hear?_

"Whoa...Ok," although he didn't understand the language, he got the message. He looked around him and saw that they were on a very crude ship, one that seemed to be trying its best not to fall apart. It was fairly big, larger than a fishing boat, and appeared to be composed entirely out of grungy looking steel. On his left there was what resembled some kind of crane, but the door behind him was what really caught his attention as it opened.

Out walked the strangest man he had ever seen; he was also the only person on this ship not wearing a body suit. The man had his blond hair styled into a mohawk as well as purple tattoos running across his chest. He was only wearing black pants and suspenders, yet despite his outfit, he didn't seem the least bit bothered by the cold. He was followed out by a young girl who in all retrospect was a much more pleasant sight. She too had blond hair, which was tied up into a tight ponytail, and striking green eyes. She was cute, but more than that, she was the one who had saved him.

"Caynlr res!" Mohawk man shouted, and he felt rough hands grab him tightly. He clenched his teeth, trying to keep his emotions in check; These people meant business and now was not the time for snide remarks. _-Search him!_

Then the girl was behind him and she ran her hands down his body, it took him a moment to realize she was probably checking him for any weapons. It was then that he noticed mohawk man had his sword, which he then proceeded to toss down in front of Tidus as he waved his hands about him. Had it not been for the seriousness of the situation and the horrible way he felt right then, he probably would have found it funny but now...he just didn't care.

"Right, whatever." Tidus responded tonelessly.

"Tu oui hud cbayg?" The man asked. He handed Tidus a strange device and resumed with his previous actions. _-Do you not speak?_

"I said I don't understand!" Tidus snapped back and once more he felt the sharp pain of wood against his head "Ehcumahla!" -_Insolence!_

"Fyed!" They all turned to look at the girl, she turned to him. _-Wait!_

"He said you can stay if you make yourself useful," she gave him a small smile.

"You...You can understand me?" He was ecstatic, but cautiously so; He didn't know exactly how much she knew.

"All right, I'll work."

-----------

Tidus bent to pick up his sword as he waited for the girl to explain how exactly he was going to make himself useful.

"We found some ancient ruins right beneath us. It's not active now, but there should still be some power left. We're gonna go down there and activate it...and then we should be able to salvage the big prize!" She told him cheerfully, then with a small frown she bent down to look at him. "You know how to swim right?"

"Yeah, no problem there," He walked over to the edge of the ship and looked down. It was late and the sky still overcast, which made the waters look murky and threatening; he turned back to the girl.

"so what am I supposed to do exactly?"

"That's easy, just follow me!"

He shrugged and in one quick motion, flipped himself over the railing and plummeted into the omnipotent ocean. He heard a splash behind him and turned only to be blinded by a white light. Covering his face with his arms he felt a hand grasp him and pull him away, blinking he saw the girl laughing at him. He looked up and saw a large spotlight attached to the salvage ship. The girl dove down into the path of the beam as Tidus put the breathing device in his mouth and followed.

They dove deeper and deeper; an oppressive darkness surrounded them, making Tidus feel somewhat claustrophobic. He shook his head and focused his attention on keeping up with the strange girl and soon they found themselves in front of a metal guard wire. She pointed to his left and he saw a hole in to the fencing, but leaving the beam had plunged them into blackness. He felt her slide past him as the room lit up (somewhat) and he saw her holding a hand held light. They were in a small chamber, the walls were covered in algae and mud; a door on the left lead out to a long hallway. Tidus glanced at the girl and she held out her arm as if to say, 'after you'.

He smiled to himself as he swam forward, though only going a few feet before he stopped. He could see movement ahead of him and he turned to the girl pointing in the direction of it. The light reviled three medium sized fish with large mouths full of jagged teeth; they watched the pair intently, waiting for them to make the first move. Tidus slowly took out his sword, putting his arm in front of the girl as she had begun to advance. Shooting her a 'stay back' look he drifted towards the fiends; they watched him pensively then rushed at him. He swung his sword down catching two of them then searched for the third, finding it as it bit down on his arm. Bringing the hilt down on it caused it to lose its grip and Tidus fininshed it off. The girl came up to him and made a grab at his arm but he shook his head moving forward. It hurt but it wasn't that serious besides, there was nothing she could about it down here.

They soon came to a large room with a strange device situated in the center of it. The girl swam ahead and started fiddling with the it, trying to make it work. If he could talk, he would've told her it was a lost cause; the machine had to have been years old and after sitting at the bottom of the ocean for so long, well, there was no way it could still be functional. It didn't take her too long to figure that out as she crossed her arms and pouted; he smiled and gave the machine a strong, hard kick. The ruins rumbled as they came to life, light filtering through the cracks and windows illuminating the room. She swam through a broken window and he followed looking for the source of the light; he found it coming from more spotlights attached to the building. The girl smiled at him and began the ascent to the surface.

-----------

The men ahead of him spoke excitedly as they walked towards the ships cabin. Tidus followed, not bothering to listen, he could almost feel the heat coming from inside when he was shoved back.

"Oui, uidceta!" The shover exclaimed. _-You, outside!_

"Hey! Hey I helped out didn't I!?" But the door had already closed. Tidus lay back down on the freezing deck thinking how this really couldn't get any worse; his stomach growled in agreement.

----------

Tidus drifted off as the cabins door opened and a pain shot up his arm, he gazed up to see the girl smiling at him. She held a tray which she put down in front of him, it only took him a second to realize what was on it.

"Food!"

He shoved the food in his mouth with a large spoon, not caring what exactly he was eating. He swallowed to quickly, then pounded his chest with his fist trying to dislodge what had gotten stuck. A canteen appeared before him and he swiftly grabbed at it, taking a big swig of the contents.

"It's 'cause you eat too fast!" She told him.

He looked back at the girl to find her still smiling at him, but with what seemed like relief in her eyes. It was then that he noticed how different they were; her eyes were bright green, but the pupils were wrong. Instead of the normal round ones, they were swirled, intermixing with her green iris'.

She must have noticed him watching her, because she got up and looked over at the horizon. He ate a few more bites before getting up himself and facing her; his head still hurt, but he felt better then he had all day.

"Hello there. What is your name?" He asked timidly, as it seemed that somehow he had upset her."

She turned back to him, keeping her eyes on the ground, "Rikku."

"Hey, you really do understand me! I thought- I mean, you should have said something earlier." Up until then he really didn't know how much she knew or understood and now he knew.

_Maybe she knows how far away I am from Zanarkand or how I could get back!_

Her smile had returned as she explained herself, "I didn't get a chance to! Everyone thought oui were a fiend."

"Uh... 'We'?" That didn't sound right.

"Oh, "oui" means "you."

"Oh, um..." He didn't want to hurt her feelings again, but he felt he had to ask, "who are you guys anyway?"

She looked a little taken aback by his question, "We're Al Bhed. Can't you tell?"

Al Bhed..?

"Wait, You're not an Al Bhed-hater, are you?" She was staring at the ground again.

"I don't even know what an Al Bhed is" he was thankful that at least this shouldn't hurt her.

_Or not..._

She was staring at him as though there was something wrong with him, and he felt like maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

"Where...Where exactly are you from?" She prompted timidly.

"Zanarkand. I'm a blitzball player. Star player of the Zanarkand Abes!" He felt a bit of pride seep into his voice at that, but it was gone instantly as she just turned away and walked over to the railing of the ship. He followed her, leaning next to her trying to catch a glimpse of her face.

She turned back to him, "um, did you hit your head or something?"

He was worried, but he wanted to cheer her up again so...

"Um, you guys hit me."

She involuntarily smiled at that, "Oh, right..."

She though a moment before continuing, "Do you remember anything before that? "

He looked over at the cloudy horizon and told her everything there was to tell about Zanarkand...About life there, blitzball, and Sin's attack...he stopped as what almost could be called relief flooded her face.

"What is it?"

"You were near Sin." He could hear an undertone of fear as she spoke its name. He nodded.

She gave him a weak smile. "Don't worry, you'll be better in no time. They say your head gets funny when Sin is near. Maybe you just had some kind of dream?"

_A dream..? No it...it wasn't a dream it, couldn't be....  
_

"How- I mean, why would it make me sick?"

"Because of Sin's toxin" he felt panicky, as she seemed so sure of herself.

He didn't believe her, but he needed to know more. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, there is no Zanarkand anymore. Sin destroyed it a thousand years ago. So...no one plays blitzball there."

"Huh?! What do you mean, a thousand years ago? But I saw Sin attack Zanarkand! You're saying that happened a thousand years ago? No way! I don't believe it!" His anger quickly dissolved and was replaced by dread; he turned and sank back against the railing. If she was right then...

----------------

Rikku watched him helplessly. He looked so crestfallen, she felt like it was her fault. She wanted to say anything to cheer him up but what?

"You said...You play blitzball?" She asked hopefully.

"Uh huh," He didn't even look up at her.

"You know, you should go to Luca. Someone might know who you are, or you might find someone you recognize."

He glanced up at her, confused but interested. "Luca?"

She groaned, if he really didn't remember anything else how was she going to explain this. He must have heard her because he sighed went back to watching the ground. She paced a moment, thinking. How could she possibly help him with this? She smiled as the answer came to her. Brother wouldn't like it, but it was her decision.

"Okay, leave it to me! I'll get you to Luca, promise!" She patted him on the shoulder as he looked up at her skeptical.

"What, you'd rather stay here?"

"No!"

"Okay, I'll go tell the others. Wait here."

She stopped in front of the door, if he said the wrong thing...

"Oh. Don't tell anyone you're from Zanarkand, okay? Yevon says it's a holy place. You might upset someone." She left him with that as she thought of a way to tell Brother.

-------------

_My Zanarkand, some kind of holy place? Yeah right, since when?_

The very idea of it seemed ridiculous.

_Yevon? Sin? Luca? I thought Sin just took me to a faraway place, that I could go back in a day or two. But a thousand years into the future? How...Why..?_

He stood up angrily. He couldn't believe this, any of it! He raised his foot to kick the ship when it lurched and he found himself falling back against the deck. Waves crashed around him, threatening to throw him overboard.

The Al Bhed came rushing out talking fearfully amongst themselves. They glance out at the ocean and yelled.

"Sin!"

"Sin ec lusa!"_ -Sin is here!_

"Ihtan ic! Ihtan ic!" _-Under us! Under us!_

The ship wavered as another wave swept it. Unable to find a grip, Tidus was pulled in with it falling into the vortex that was Sin.

-----

**Sorry my chapters are a little short right now, but I'll try and get more into them. I left out the octopus boss because it seemed like it would be hard for Rikku to use her grenades underwater. Please tell me if you don't like the style I'm writing this in. I need to know to make it better. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	5. The Summoner

_Mmm...its so warm...but it hurts...my chest..._

Tidus opened his eyes, but closed them instantly as a familiar burning sensation enveloped them. It was then that he realized why his chest hurt so much.

_I can't breath!_

Struggling, he threw his head up and took a long breath; he opened his eyes to once again find himself in water.

_What...Oh!_

Everything came flooding back to him. Zanarkand, the strange temple, the al bhed and...Sin!

"Rikku!" He called out, concerned over the fate of his young friend and her crew.

His response was another smack across the head, he turned around furiously to find his attacker and stared at it in shock. It was a blitzball, exactly like the ones he had signed that night.

"Hey! You okay?" A voice called from up ahead. He glanced up and saw that not far from him was a white, sandy beach. Standing there were a group of six men, all in what appeared to be blitzball uniforms. They're team color was yellow and blue, which was similar to that of his team, the Abes which wore yellow and black. He looked back down at the blitzball and couldn't help himself. He swam down underneath of it and preformed his signature move, sphere shot. As he shot out of the water he spun, building force and released it as he kicked the ball. It flew towards the men, but shot past them into the trees behind. They stared at him in awe, glancing back and forth between him and were the ball had dissapeard to.

Tidus swam towards them, giving them a big smile as he reached the beach, "Yo! Hiya!"

One of the men came up to meet him. He had bright red hair, which stood up on his head and an almost childish face, though he was at least four years older then Tidus. He was obviously the teams captain, but he still stared at the young boy in astonishment.

"You wanna try that move one more time?" He asked, in a sort of daze. He reached down and picked up another blitzball off the ground, then handed it to Tidus.

_Finally, things are starting to look up, maybe I'm back. Maybe Sin brought me back to my time, and I'm just a little ways away from Zanarkand._

With that in mind, he preformed once again for the group. The red head recovered first and turned to the boy once again in awe.

"You're no amateur. Who you play for?"

"The Zanarkand Abes!" He didn't even think as he answered. He heard mutters from around him and he was struck with an almost debilitating thought.

_I'm still here..._

"What team you say again?" Tidus was shaken from his thoughts as he tried to think of the right thing to say. Rikku's words came back to him.

_'They say your head gets funny when Sin is near.'_

"Hey, you ok?" The man prompted.

"Uh, I meant...Forget that. I got too, uh...close to Sin and my head's all foggy-like. So I don't know where this place is. Or even where I came from." He lied, but the hopelessness in his voice was more then enough to convince them.

"Sin's toxin got to you. But, you're still alive. Praise be to Yevon!" They all bowed, but Tidus was too distracted to really notice. The man turned to his team and ordered them back to practice, then turned his attention to the hapless boy. "I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda."

"Hm. Oh, I'm Tidus."

Wakka smiled at that, explaining as the boy gave him a confused look, "Hey, most people don't even remember that. You should be glad, that means the rest should come back soon, ya?"

Tidus gave him a weak smile. It was then that his stomach once again began to protest. The Aurochs captain laughed and waved for the boy to follow. "You hungry? Okay! Back to the village. I'll get you somethin'!"

------------------------------

As they began they're walk back, Tidus felt the need to ask.

"Um, It's true Zanarkand was destroyed, right? A thousand years ago? So it's just a big pile of rubble now, isn't it?"

Wakka stopped at turn to the boy, "Long time ago, there were a whole lot of cities in Spira. Big cities with machina, machines to run 'em. People played all day and let the machina do the work. And then, well, take a look." He waved his arm around him and Tidus glanced around. Although the island seemed be just a big jungle, he could see ruins poking out from around them. They were large and Tidus realized that this place had probably once been just like Zanarkand.

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

"Sin came, and destroyed the machina cities. And Zanarkand along with 'em. Yeah, that was about a thousand years ago, just like you said. If you ask me, Sin's our punishment for letting things get out of hand. What gets me, though... is we gotta suffer, 'cause of what some goofballs did way back when! 'Course, we must always repent for our sins! That's important! It's just that, it's hard to keep at it sometimes, you know?" Tidus could hear the anger and fatigue in the mans voice, but then Wakka smiled at him.

"But you from the Zanarkand Abes, that was a good one! Hey, I'm not saying the team never existed, ya? But you gotta figure a team livin' in luxury like that'd be pretty soft, eh?" He laughed and continued walking; Tidus followed lost in thought.

_So that's it, everything that happened to me, all this started with Sin. Maybe if I can find Sin one more time, I could go home! Then I'll just keep going until it shows up again...maybe this isn't so bad, it might be fun...for now._

------------

"Hey! It's this way!" Wakka waved him over to a cliff overlooking a bank of clear blue water. He couldn't see how this could be the way, but the decision was made as he felt pressure on his back and he fell forward into the spring.

"Whaa!" He dove down and came back up sputtering angrily, "What's the big idea!?"

Wakka dove down and swam up behind Tidus, catching him in a headlock.

"Lemme go!" He struggled against the older man, but was too weak to get away.

"Got a favor to ask ya."

Tidus stopped struggling and sighed. He knew what he was going to ask, "You want me on your team, right?"

Wakka released the boy and swam off a bit. "A major blitz tournament's coming up. All the teams in Spira'll be there! It's so huge, I'm sure someone there will recognize you! Then you can go back to your old team, right? It'll be fun! What do you say, huh? Come on, come on!"

"Sure thing," Tidus said flatly.

"Dude! Our team is gonna rock, eh?" Wakka didn't seem hear the fatigue in the boys voice.

_A tournament huh? I guess blitzball survived Sin, but what else... Is there anything else connecting them?_

A movement came from their left, Wakka braced himself and Tidus reached for his sword; but it wasn't there.

_What! No, I must have lost it when I fell into Sin!_

Wakka seeing that Tidus was defenseless, put, himself in front of the boy. He still had a blitzball with him, so he threw it at the fiends that were advancing. There were two of them; Tidus recognized them as the fish that had attacked him and Rikku. Wakka's ball disposed of one of them and a swift kick got rid of the other.

He swam up to the boy, "You ok?"

"yeah...." Tidus felt upset at have lost his sword, even if it did come from his father. It was the only thing, other then his clothes, that tied him to Zanarkand.

"What, you lose something?"

"Just my sword, I guess I dropped it when I encountered Sin."

Wakka, misconceiving the boys reaction, waved him forward, "Just stick close to me, I'll keep you safe."

-------------------------

They encountered a few more fish of the way back, but Wakka took care of them without trouble. After a bit of swimming they came to another beach and started forward towards the village. As they came to another cliff edge, Wakka pointed down and began talking, "This is where I was born. I started blitz when I was five. I joined the Aurochs at thirteen...ten years years...and we never won a game. Well, after last year's tournament, I quit. Time seemed right."

Tidus looked down at the village below. It was tiny with only a few huts scattered about and he guess that no more then thirty people could have lived there. Wakka continued, "So, after quitting, I got this new job, ya? But every time my mind wandered, I thought about the game."

"Mmm...Ten years without a single win'll do that."

Wakka grunted, "my first match last year was my big chance. But something else was on my mind. I couldn't focus."

Tidus looked back at the man and smiled, "nice excuse."

Wakka tried to look offended at the comment, "Hey, hey!"

"So you want to win the next tournament, go out with a bang." Wakka nodded.

"Ok then," He thought a moment "So, what's our goal?"

Wakka shrugged, " I don't care how we do. Long as we play our best. If we give it our all, I can walk away happy."

Tidus couldn't believe what he was hearing, no wonder they hadn't won yet. "No, no, no, no, no. If I say, "What's our goal?" you say, "Victory!" When you play in a blitzball tournament, you play to win!"

Wakka smiled hopefully, "Victory? You serious?"

"Yeah!" Once more his stomach growled at him, Wakka laughed and started down the path to the village. Tidus followed, spotting two men as they neared the village entrance. They were dressed in armor and reached for their weapons as the two came near. They turned and relaxed when they saw who it was.

"Ah, the one from the sea!" The older one remarked He had short dark red hair and wore blue pants and brown armor; his companion was a younger, darker skined youth, with longer black hair tied tightly up. His armor was similar in design, but he wore brown shorts. He looked over at Wakka, "Be on guard. There are fiends on the road today!"

The other kept his eyes on Tidus, "After surviving your run-in with Sin, 'twould be a shame if something happened now." he turned to his comrade, "Gatta, lets go."

Tidus watched as they walked into the village, "Who were they?"

"Luzzu and Gatta, Crusaders." he began walking again but stopped at Tidus' reply.

"Eh? Crews of what?"

"What, you forgot that too?" Wakka looked over at the younger boy and instantly regretted responding so harshly. "Hey, sorry. Don't worry about it. I'll help you out."

Tidus nodded and they entered the village.

--------------------------

"Besaid Village." Wakka said with pride. There was a large path leading from the entrance of the village to a large building that sat at the end of the tiny village, overshadowing the small huts scattered around. Wakka pointed to the largest hut, "Let's see... The Crusaders Lodge is over yonder. Luzzu and Gatta are usually there. We'll get you some food after."

"Mmmm, wait," he stopped Tidus as he began to enter Besaid. "Over here."

He led him outside the village, out of view from those about. "You do remember the prayer, right?"

Tidus had no idea what he was talking about and just shook his head.

Wakka seemed uneasy about it, "You...must have forgot or something. Here, I'll show you." He moved his body about as he bowed, "Now you try."

Tidus imitated the bow, purposelessly being clumsy about it. He knew this prayer, he had seen it enough in Zanarkand. It was the blitzball sign for victory, he remembered the three boys who had done it for him that night after he agreed to teach them.

"Hey, not bad," Wakka patted his shoulder and led him back to the entrance, "Okay, now go present yourself to the temple summoner." He left Tidus and headed for the large building at the end.

-----------------------

Tidus entered the crusaders hut and found Luzzu and Gatta sitting at a small table looking at the documents that covered it. Both noticed him as he came towards them, but it was Gatta that spoke first.

"Hey, you! You were attacked by Sin...right? Recently was it?"

"Uh, yeah," He didn't really know how long he had been out for "I think so."

"So, Sin can't be far, right? You're not hiding anything, are you?" He gave Tidus a scrutinizing look.

Tidus had to stop himself from glaring back.

Luzzu put a hand on Gatta's arm and the boy calmed back down. He turned to Tidus, "If Sin's nearby, it'll attack the island for sure. But it hasn't. I wonder why?"

"I'm sorry. I really don't know anything. To tell the truth, I don't even know what the Crusaders are."

Gatta looked up at him in surprise, "You're kidding, right?"

"Sin. The toxin. Gatta, tell him who we are!"

"Yes, sir!" Gatta stood and saluted, calmly stating their purpose, "The Crusaders are sworn to battle Sin! We have chapters throughout Spira, accepting all who wish to join our struggle! The hero Mi'ihen formed the Crusaders eight hundred years ago as the Crimson Blades. Later, our ranks grew and we called ourselves the Crusaders. We've been fighting Sin ever since!" To Tidus it sounded like something out of the training manual.

"What, you've been fighting eight hundred years and you still haven't beat it?" Tidus couldn't imagine how bad the group must be...or how strong Sin really was.

"Uh...well..umm..." Gatta wasn't sure how to respond, luckily Luzzu did.

"Well, we've steered Sin away from towns many times! And that's all we can do. Nobody's ever been able to defeat it. Our mission as Crusaders is to protect the temples, towns, villages, and people of Spira." Gatta, relieved, sat back down.

"Oh, so then whose job is it to defeat Sin?" Both stared at him in shock, Gatta turned to Luzzu questioningly.

"Is Sin's toxin really this bad, sir?"

"It does seem rather bad..." he thought a moment, "We could just tell you, but I think it better for you to try and remember. Go pray at the temple. Perhaps Yevon will help you regain your memory."

Tidus shrugged and left. They watched him go and went back to their work disturbed at the severity of the youths loss.

------------------------------

Tidus entered the temple, unsure of what to expect. He had never been in one before, all his knowledge of them came form stories he had heard as a child. But it was stepping into this sacred place that Tidus realized how different Spira was from his world. The temple was dark and filled with chants and prayers from those around. Four large statues stood around them watching, but the lack of light left much of them hidden and a tall staircase at the back of the temple appeared to lead to nothing as it dissapeared into the darkness. A priest stood in front of one of them and spoke as he neared.

"Ten years have passed since Lord Braska became high summoner. And finally we receive a statue for our temple." He pointed to the statue of a man in a strange looking robe. Once more Tidus spoke without thinking.

"What's a high summoner?" Those within ear shot gasped, but Tidus was quick to pull out his somewhat rehearsed excuse.

"I...I got too close to Sin's, uh, toxin." It was weird hearing himself come up with the same excuse over and over, but it worked as many sighed in relief and went back to their prayers.

"The summoners are practitioners of a sacred art, sworn to protect the people of Yevon. Only a chosen few become summoners, who call forth entities of great power: the aeons. The aeons hear our prayers and come down to us. They are the blessing of Yevon." The priest explained as he turned back to the statue and bowed.

Although he wanted to look around the village and temple more, he was hungry and tired and just wanted to find Wakka and get some some lunch. He left the temple unaware of the eyes followed him out.

-------------------------------

Tidus lay drowsily on the mat that Wakka had let him use. After returning from the temple Wakka had given him some lunch, which he proceeded to eat as slowly as he could manage and told the boy to take a nap, saying he could meet the summoner later.

Someone came into into the tent, but Tidus could make him out.

"You could at least go see how they are doing," was that the priest?

"We can't interfere. It's a rule." It was Wakka who spoke.

"But, its been nearly..." The voice faded away.

He let his mind linger as sleep enveloped him.

_"But its been nearly..."_

_"It's been nearly a day already." It was a uniformed officer who spoke._

_"Perhaps you could go look for us." A woman asked, she had brown hair and worried blue eyes._

_"People are searching for him now." The man said, no one noticed the small boy that lingered behind the houseboat._

_"Thank you." she said. The man left and she began to cry._

_Then the boy was facing the woman, she was still crying._

_"Who cares whether he comes back or not?" The boy sneered at the woman angrily._

_She looked hurt at the comment, "But he might die!"_

_The boy was unfazed, "Fine, let him!"_

_"Do you...Do you hate him so?" he nodded, she stopped cryng and stared at her son sadly._

_"If he dies, you'll never be able to tell him how much you hate him."_

Tidus awoke suddenly and looked around. It took him a moment to remember where he was.

"Wakka?" He didn't see the man, so he got up and left the hut. The village was nearly empty, and soldiers guarded the gates to the village. He saw someone moving to the temple and followed. He spotted Wakka speaking to the priest in front of the stairs.

"Is something wrong?" He asked seeing the worried expression on both Wakka's and the priests faces.

"The summoner hasn't returned from the trial," Wakka said glancing up at the staircase "Well, apprentice summoner, really..."

"Um...oh." Tidus didn't really know what he was talking about. Wakka thankfully understood the boys response.

"There's a room in there called the Cloister of Trials. Beyond is where the apprentice summoner prays. If the prayer is heard, the apprentice becomes a fully-fledged summoner, remember?" The last part was said in hope.

"So someone is in there somewhere and they haven't come back out."

"Yeah," he figure the boy had it "but a day's already gone by."

What! A whole day! "Is it particularly dangerous in there!?"

"Mmm...sometimes, yes." Wakka went back to looking at the stairway. Tidus could see now that it led to a large door.

"Why don't you go in and help?" To him the answer should have been obvious. Why wait?

"There's already guardians in there. Besides, it's forbidden." He sounded like he hated saying it.

"Hey, but what if something happens? What if the summoner dies!?" Tidus didn't understand. Someone could be hurt, or worse and they were just going and see how it goes? He turned away from the older man in disgust and started for the door. If they weren't going to do anything about it, then he was.

"The precepts must be obeyed!" he heard the priest yell behind him.

He turned back to the man, "like I care!" and with that he ran up the rest of the way and entered the cloister of trials.

---------------------------------------------------

_Uh...maybe this wasn't such a good idea..._

Tidus was on his way through the cloister when he got thinking, maybe he was too impulsive. He had seen no dangers thus far, no fiends, no nothing. He stopped as he reached an apparent dead end.

"Hey! What's gotten into you?" Tidus jumped at the sound.

Wakka came up behind him as Tidus lowered his eyes in shame. The man had been so kind to him and this was how he was repaying him; by stomping on his traditions. Wakka patted his shoulder, 'Hey, it's okay." He turned to look at the dead end, "only summoners, apprentice summoners, and their guardians can enter here. It's a tradition. Very important."

Tidus relaxed a bit, thankful and a little suspicious at Wakka's forgiving nature, "So what about you?" he asked unsure.

Wakka walked into the small room and Tidus followed, "Me? I'm a guardian."

"A guardian?" Tidus gave him a skeptical look and Wakka just shrugged.

"Whoa...ack!" The floor began to move and as Tidus search for a way of it, he spotted Wakka's smile and relaxed. It was an elevator...of sorts.

Wakka continued his explanation, "Summoners go on a pilgrimage to pray at every temple in Spira. Guardians protect them. The guardians in there now...One of thems got a short fuse, and who knows what the others thinking...Well, now that we've come this far...might as well go all the way!"

They reached to bottom and stepped off. The room was large, but very similar in design to the temples interior, just without the statues. Towards the stairs, there stood a woman in a long black dress that, as she turned around, appeared to be made of belts. He hair was silky black and tied up intricately. He red eyes blazed with anger as she spotted Wakka.

"What are you doing here? Didn't think we'd be able to handle it?"

"No, it's uh...it's just...oh..." The woman walked over to them. Tidus turned away and spotted something that was definitley not human. It had the appearance of a cat, but stood on two powerful looking legs, It's fur was dark blue, while its hair was much lighter, almost white. On it forehead was what appeared to be a horn, but it looked broken. The creature looked over at him, then turned away.

He felt Wakka nudge him, "See, I told you she gets mad easily."

Tidus turned his attention away from the guardians instead opting to find what he had come here looking for, "Is the summoner all right?"

She looked over in surprise, noticing him for the first time. "Who are you?"

Wakka started to explain when he was interrupted by the door that opened at the top of the stairs and the summoner who walked out. Tidus gasped as he watched her. She was nothing like what he had expected. For one, he thought the summoner was some old guy like the statues, and two, she was beautiful. Her light brown hair fell just short of her shoulders, one strand beaded and colored blue. Her eyes were Heterochromic, one blue and one green. She wore a long blue skirt, and a white kimono type top that left her shoulders bare showing her light and creamy skin. She stumbled a bit as she walked and as she descended the stairs, she tripped. He ran towards her, but the creature was quicker and her side as he caught her. She stood up, brushing her hair out of her face as she looked at them and smiled.

"I've done it. I have become a summoner!"

-----------------------------------------------

They left the temple soon after, Tidus unable to take his eyes off her. As soon as they were out, people rushed at her and soon she had been led away to the center of the village. Tidus didn't follow. For the first time since coming to Spira, he felt like he really didn't belong, like he was intruding.

"Hey, over here! Wait till you see this!" It was Wakka. When Tidus didn't respond, he grabbed the boy and pulled him over to the summoner. He turned to her, "Okay, ready!"

She nodded and Tidus watched at she danced gracefully. He felt a tingling sensation inside of him, that grew stronger as she continued. Suddenly the sky opened up and a large bird-like creature came flying down, the people gasped as it flew down in front of the summoner. It put its face down to her and she petted it. It looked up and cocked its head towards Tidus. The feeling was stronger then ever, but not unpleasent, just...different; it jumped up and flew off, quickly dissapearing. People once again surrounded the summoner, offering praise and cheers for her success.

------------------------------------

That night the village held a celebratory gathering. A large bonfire had been built in the village center and people stood around laughing and enjoying the night. Tidus had stayed in Wakka's hut for most of the night, he wanted to meet the summoner, but everyone he passed gave him angry or disapproving looks. As the night waned on Wakka came and dragged him out to meet the Aurochs.

"Let me introduce you to the team," Wakka said "This guy here wants into the tournament so bad, I let him on the team. His memory's a little fuzzy, so don't mind him if he says anything odd! Come on, say hi." He push Tidus forward.

"Uh... hi, guys," he gave them a small wave, they muttered a greeting in return. "So, what's our goal?" he asked them.

They pumped they're fists up and shouted in unison "To do our best!"

"Nope, we got a new goal now! Our new goal...is victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team! To bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win! Easy, ya?"

"Victory...?" They seemed uncertain, but quickly got used to the idea. Wakka smiled at them as they began chanting "Victory!"

Tidus looked around him and spotted the summoner.

She was speaking with an elderly couple and a little girl and he walked over but stopped when the older man glared at him.

"You heathen!" He cried, the older lady noticed him too, "Stay away from the summoner!"

"You're a bad man!"

_Jeez even the kids are against me..._

He started to turn away when Yuna stood up. The old man grabbed her arm, "Lady Yuna! Be careful!"

She shook her head, "But it was really my fault to begin with." He sighed but let her go. She walked over to Tidus a gave him a big smile, "I'm Yuna. Thank you so much for your help earlier."

"Huh? Ah... I'm sorry about that." He felt shy all of a sudden, "wasn't that...Wasn't I not supposed to...Guess I...kind of overreacted."

"Oh, no. I was...overconfident." He couldn't understand why she wasn't mad at him. But as she stared down at the ground, he felt the need to cheer her up.

"Um, I saw that..." What had Wakka called it? Oh yeah. "Aeon thing. That's amazing!"

She smiled at him, "Really? Do you think I can become high summoner?"

He nodded and she clasped her hands to her chest and beamed at him.

"Lady Yuna, come play with me some more!" The little girl tugged on her skirt and she stooped down and smiled. "Okay." She turned back to Tidus, "So, tomorrow, then."

"Huh, tomorrow?"

"We're going on the same boat, aren't we?" She tilted her head at him.

"Oh, really?" He hadn't known that, but now that he did he felt ecstatic.

"We can talk more. You can tell me all about Zanarkand!" She turned away and walked back to the little girl. Tidus stared at her dumbfounded. How did she know about that...and did she really believe him? She said she wanted to know more, but maybe she was just humoring him.

"She's cute ya," Wakka asked coming up beside him.

Tidus was surprised by the question, but nodded his head.

"But don't be getting any ideas," he looked back at Yuna. "Come on, I had a bed made for you."

Tidus nodded and followed Wakka.

--------------------------------------

_Tidus stood on the dock and saw Yuna up ahead. He ran to her then asked "where's that boat?"_

_She turned to him, "Everyone will find us if it doesn't come soon."_

_"You really sure this is okay?"_

_"Would you take me to Zanarkand?" she asked him, but he didn't get a chance to respond as another voice came from behind._

_"Hey!" it was Rikku, "you said you'd go with me!"_

_"Oh, hey... I, uh..." he wasn't sure what to do._

_"I thought Wakka told you not to get any ideas?" she scolded him, Yuna looked over curiously. "He did?"_

_"Yeah, so you're coming with me!" She pulled him towards her._

_"Hey! Stop dreaming! You, with a woman? You can't even catch a ball!" A cruel voice came from the beach and he looked over to see his father Jecht. Both Yuna and Rikku now stood beside him._

_Tidus sat on the dock, now seven years old and held his knees to his chest, rocking slightly._

_"Oh, what's the matter?" His father sneered. "Gonna cry again? Cry, cry. That's the only thing you're good for!" he laughed._

_"I hate you," Tidus whispered._

_"Huh? What'd you say?" Jecht asked harshly._

_"You have to speak loudly," Yuna told him motherly._

_"I hate you!" He yelled._

_"Huh?" It seemed as though the man couldn't hear him._

_"That's the spirit!" Rikku cried happily._

_"You can do it!" Yuna cheered._

-------------------

"I hate you!" Tidus shouted as he awoke. He looked around him confused, then he sighed. It was just a dream. He was about to lie back down when he heard voices from outside. Curious he walked over to the door and listened.

"He's dead, okay? Dead!" It was Lulu, Yuna's guardian and the one who had given Wakka trouble when they had entered the chamber. She sighed before going on, "He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!"

"Yeah, but...he needed our help!" Wakka responded helplessly.

"Excuses again?"

"Yeah, but.."

"That's it. No more. Enough, Wakka!" He couldn't see what was going on, but he knew the conversation was over. He stepped back and waited for Wakka to come back. As if on que, he stepped into the hut, he jumped as he saw Tidus. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

Tidus shrugged, "So, who's Chappu?"

Wakka walked over to his bed and sat down before going on, "My little brother, Chappu. He looked like you."

"He's dead?"

"He was with the Crusaders when they fought Sin last year. He didn't make it. I first heard on the day of the tournament."

Tidus cringed as he thought back to their conversation earlier, "Oh, so that's why."

Wakka nodded, "I became a guardian to fight Sin, ya?" He sighed, "But...I'm more worried about a stupid game now than avenging my brother. Well, after the next tournament, I'll be a guardian full-time. I know it kinda looks like I'm using you, but I'm not."

"Don't worry. I mean, I owe you a lot. You really helped me out, you know? What I mean is... thanks, Wakka"

Wakka looked proud, then embarrassed as he pushed Tidus away, "Heh. Stop, you're embarrassing me!"

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Tidus stood outside the hut, basking in the morning sun. He felt better now then he had in days, hid headache was gone, he was on his way out to play blitzball and he would get some time to talk with Yuna....As long as Sin would let him. He was getting tired of being thrown all over the place. He looked around and spotted Lulu and Wakka talking by the entrance. He was unsure of what Lulu thought of him, but he needed to get out of the village somehow.

Wakka waved him over as he approached them, "Hey! Sleepyhead! Something I want to give you." He handed Tidus a sword.

"Whoa, you're giving this to me?" It was the nicest sword he'd ever seen. The blade was blue, but appeared to be made of water, despite being made of metal. It curved at the end into a sort of hook, that he knew would be painful for any fiend he came across.

"Yeah, you know since you lost yours and all," He smiled "use it well!"

"That's the sword you gave Chappu." Lulu said, sounding cold.

"Well, he never used it." He looked over at the temple, "Where's Yuna?"

"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right? Why do we gotta wait here?" He asked. Lulu gave him a disapproving look, but Wakka nodded and explained.

"Yuna came to this village ten years ago, when the last Calm started." He smiled, "Since then, she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu. But she had the talent...She became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a summoner."

_Oh.. but whats the calm..._

"This is our journey...We should leave together." Lulu said and turned as Yuna came walking out of the temple.

"Ready? Okay! Off we go!" The three of them walked towards the beach and Yuna stood watching the village. She bowed, then ran to catch up them.

---------------------------------

As they continued on they ran into several fiends, but they were weak and for the most part, he and Wakka took care of them. They encountered a flan, which they couldn't hurt, but Lulu was a black mage and swiftly took care of it. Tidus was impressed, he had never seen magic before, though he knew of its existence, he thought it looked pretty cool. As they neared the beach, he heard a noise above him. He stopped and listened, then glanced up just in time to see a blue figure coming at him. He dodged and struck back, the the creature blocked it. He went in for another hit when a voice shouted at them.

"That's enough!" Wakka yelled. The creature just stopped, looking over before walking away.

"What's with that guy?" Tidus found he was angry at the surprise attack.

"Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe," Lulu explained, "He's another one of Yuna's guardians."

"Huh?" He was guardian!?

He heard Yuna laughing. He turned to her and she smiled, "Sometimes we don't understand him either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway. But he has protected me since I was a child!"

"Ah..." He shrugged and they continued on.

--------------------------------------------------

As they reached the beach, he saw that what must have been the entire population of Besaid waiting there. They waved as she boarded the boat, a few even breaking down and crying. She smiled at them as the boat moved foreward, not taking her eyes off them till the island had dissapeared out of view.

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**So the next chapter is out! Man I'm terrified about releasing this one, I know alot of people were expecting good this out of this...So we'll have to see how it goes. This chapter came out faster because it's the weekend so I don't work. I've changed Wakka's fighting style a bit as to make it sound... not so...weird. Those who have played the game will notice, but it shouldn't cause much of an uproar. Enjoy and don't forget to R&R!**


	6. Lord Braska's daughter

The boat moved sleepily, as if tired from its long day of traveling. Unlike the ship, its passengers were up and full of energy. The farry guard leaned lazily against the ships rail, enjoying the gentle breeze blowing through his hair.

_Man, this is the life..._

He took out his binoculars and scanned the horizon. It always made him nervous doing this, one never knew when Sin would appear and with the lady summoner aboard he felt the need to be extra diligent. But then they were gone and he was holding nothing but thin air. He stood there a moment confused when he noticed someone sitting on the rail next to him. He looked over and saw a blond haired boy offhandedly scanning, not the horizon, but the ship with his binoculars.

_With MY binoculars!_

He reached out to grab at them, but the boy casually held him back while continuing to study the passengers. He must have spotted what he wanted because he tossed them back to him and moved away. He was about to go after the boy when he saw whose company he was in.

_Hmph! I don't care if hes a guardian or not, he needs more respect!_

---------------------------------

Tidus stretched as he walked towards the ships center. He was in a better mood then he had been in...well he couldn't remember the last time he felt this good. Being on the sea always made him feel calm, though he couldn't vouch for everyone one on board as a trip down below reveled two very seasick Aurochs. The only thing that could have made it better was if he could talk to Yuna, but she was currently surrounded by a mop of fans and well wishers. He passed by the crowd to try and catch a glimpse of her, but to no avail though he did manage to catch some gossip.

"Word is that summoner's got noble blood!"

"I heard she's Lord Braska's daughter!"

"Ya don't say?"

Tidus wasn't sure what they were talking about, though the name Braska sounded familiar, so he opted to find his new 'dictionary' and ask him. He spotted Wakka standing with Lulu further back and headed towards them.

"So, is Yuna's father famous or something?" He asked the man, turning back to look at Yuna. He could see her better back here.

"She's the daughter of High Summoner Braska! You saw his statue at the temple. Lord Braska defeated Sin ten years ago. Yuna's the heir to a great legacy!" Something about that sounded weird to Tidus, but he kept him mouth shut. Instead he thought about what else Wakka had just told him. It reminded him of back home. His father had supposedly been one of the best blitzers in Zanarkand, but with him gone, everyone expected him to keep up.

"It's tough...when your father's famous." he mumbled more to himself then them. Wakka gave him a quizzical look, but seemed to just shrug it off. The crowd around Yuna thinned and Tidus took the opportunity to finally speak with her. He walked over to her as slowly and neutrally as he could manage. She saw him and smiled and he found himself walking a little quicker. She spoke to those still around and they quickly dispersed leaving the two alone. They moved to the front rail of the ship and stood as an awkward silence enveloped them.

"The wind...it's nice." Yuna finally managed.

"Mm..." Tidus responded. They stood there a moment longer before bursting into laughter. With the ice broken, Yuna once again began to converse.

"You're a blitzball player, aren't you? From Zanarkand, right?" She tilted his head at him, her face still flushed from laughing. He stared at her in shock from both her question and the ellegent look on her face. He looked back at the sparkling sea and concentrated on what she had just asked.

"Uh...You hear that from Wakka?" He didn't understand why Wakka had told her in the first place. She nodded and he continued "Ah...Wakka. Wakka doesn't believe me at all."

"But I believe you!" He looked back at her confused.

"Huh? But why?" He had no proof, nothing but his word and even that was tainted by Sin.

She turned away from him and looked over at the horizon. "I've heard, in Zanarkand...there is a great stadium, all lit up even at night!" He stared at her and she continued, smiling "Great blitzball tournaments are held there and the stands are always full!"

"How do you know that!?" He hadn't meant to sound so harsh but she didn't seem to mind.

"A man named Jecht told me. He was my father's guardian." She spoke fondly of both men.

_Jecht..._

It couldn't be the same man...could it?

She noticed the disturbed look on his face and fearing she had said something wrong, leaned over to look at him. "Did I..."

He shook his head, "It's just...My father...his name is Jecht, but..."

She didn't wait for him to finish, "Amazing!" It was all she could do not to pray right there, "You know, our meeting like this must be the blessing of Yevon!"

"Sounds like him, but it can't be him."

"Oh, why not?" She seemed as doubtful at his answer as he did pondering his conclusion.

"My old man, he died. Ten years ago, off the coast of Zanarkand." He face fell as she listened to him, but quickly lit back up as he continued. "He went out to sea for training one day...and never came back. And no one's seen him since then."

"Why, that's the day that Jecht came to Spira."

"But-"

"It's true! I first met Jecht ten years and three months ago! I remember, that was the day my father left. The date fits, doesn't it?" She looked at him hopefully.

It did, but he didn't want it to. That meant he could still be alive, that he might be here in Spira. His mind raced for something, anything to contradict it.

"Ehh...Yeah, but how would he get here?"

She stepped back giving him a sly smile, "You're here, are you not?"

She had him. Despite everything, the simple little look she gave him filled him with joy and soon he found himself smiling back.

The ship rumbled and shook, throwing everyone back. Tidus caught Yuna's hand before she was thrown over, but he could feel his grip slipping. Another quake hit the small boat and he found his hand empty. He lets out a sigh as he watched Kimari catch her leaning heavily against a broken post. Looking over he watches as a familiar shape can be seen in the water.

"Sin." He whispered under his breath.

_He's back...._

------------------------------

"Sin!" A sailor staggers to his left grabbing for one of the remaining harpoons anchored to the ship. It only takes a moment for everyone to realize what the man was planning on doing.

"What do you think you're doing? Stick a harpoon in it and we'll all get dragged under!" Wakka shouts clinging to the sail.

"Sin is going for Kilika! We gotta distract it!" The man yelled as another wave hit the boat. He looked over at Yuna, "Our families are on Kilika! Forgive us, Lady Summoner!"

Closing her eyes she nodded and the man took aim.

"Wait! Oh, boy..." Wakka sighed. The man fired successfully catching the monstorisity's fin. The boat is hurled forward as everyone clings for dear life.

------------------------------

Over the noise of the destruction, Tidus couldn't hear what was being said, but he watched the man harpoon Sin. He clung desperately to the railing as the ship was thrown around. They spend faster and faster. Everyone heard the loud snap as the harpoons wire broke. Once more everyone was tossed around as the ship came to a rocky stop. Tidus opened his eyes long enough to see Yuna safely with Kimari before everything went black.

-----------------------------

"Geez..." Wakka sighed as he stood up, immediately looking for Yuna. He found he tightly held in Kimari's arms. Lulu came up next to him, having held on to the the sail herself.

The ship was in terrible condition, but everyone seemed ok.

"Ah!" He turned quickly at the sound of Yuna's gasp. She was staring at the ships bow, her hands covering the look of fear that showed on her face and he was filled with dread as he realized who was missing.

_Ahh kid, no way!_

He ran for the bow and dove into the sea looking for any signs of the young man. He started as a fiend dove past him and towards an unknown target. Rushing after it he spotted the boy floating motionless in the water. He gave the fiend a roundhouse kick to the head and grabbed at Tidus looking frantically for a pulse. He found one, but the boy was in bad shape. Reaching into the small pouch at his waist he grabbed a potion, pouring it over the him.

_Come on kid, wake up!_

He watched as Tidus' eyes fluttered open for a second, but the water had greatly diluted the potion and he fell back unconscious, Wakka glanced around looking for signs other fiends. He pulled him in to the crook of his arm and swam hastily towards the surface. Breaking it he looked over at Tidus but seeing as he still wasn't breathing himself, he panicked and struck the boy hard across the back, sighing in relief as he coughed up water, inhaling deeply.

He looked around spotting the boat twenty feet over; positioning Tidus as so the boys head remained above the water, he slowly swam towards his worried companions.

------------------------------

Tidus awoke, his body throbbing dully in pain. But even as the knowledge of such pain reached him, it was slowly being drained away. He opened his eyes and saw Yuna above him, she gave him a weak smile, but he could see the worry in her eyes.

_What happened..._

He glanced around and saw the same expression on the faces of everyone else. The sky had turned orange and he realized he must have been out for a while. The ship was a total wreck, but it seemed to be moving along; he remembered now, how Sin had attacked and how he had felt himself being pulled away.

_I don't understand...When Sin attacked Zanarkand that day, I woke up in Spira, I thought...I hoped it would work in reverse..._

But it hadn't. He realized he was still stuck in Spira and that fact ate away at the last of his hope.

"I will defeat Sin...I must defeat Sin." Yuna cursed quietly. No one spoke, their only hope lay in the silent prayer the Kilika had remained unharmed.

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**I'm so sorry this chapter is so short, but I didn't want Kilika to be too long. I know I keep leaving out bosses, but the rest should be left in. I'm going to be really busy this week, but I'll work on this when I can. Thanks everyone for your awesome reviews! Love em more then you might think.**


	7. The Macabre Dance

**Yo! This chapter has a lot of dialogue, so bare with me.**

**Disclaimer: I know I've been avoiding this, but whatever...here goes...I do not own anything but the clothes off my back and maybe this computer, but definitely not Final Fantasy X or anything relating to it so don't sue me please. There that should do it.**

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Even before they had reached Kilika, they knew it had been attacked. Debris floated past the mangled ship; remnants of homes, trees and other miscellaneous objects. Many of the passengers were crying as the ship docked on a makeshift walkway, one of the few things still standing.

Tidus surveyed what was left, seeing that it had indeed once been a town, of sorts. It had been composed of wooded walkways and huts suspended above the shore, but now only a few wrecked huts still stood, all seemingly situated on the left side of the island, as though Sin hadn't bothered to move as it rained destruction, thus sparing what had been just out of reach.

He sighed. After seeing what it had done to Zanarkand, he was vaguely surprised this much remained. He was beggining to see why everyone spoke of the monster the way they had. To have to had lived with it for so long, he was amazed there was anything left of Spira.

He watched as Yuna walked off the ship and turned towards an elderly couple standing apprehensively.

"Greetings! I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the temple in Besaid." She bowed and continued, "if there is no other summoner here, please allow me to perform the sending."

"Thanks be to ye!" The older man smiled sadly.

"Our loved ones... We feared they would become fiends!" The woman looked close to tears, but both prayed before the summoner.

"Please, take me to them." Yuna followed them as the led the way, Lulu and Kimari right behind her.

Tidus stood on the dock unsure.

_Whats a sending, is she going to send someone..._

He found himself once again at a loss. He tuned to Wakka, but the man spoke instead to the Aurochs. "Come on, we'll go see what we can do to help in town." He led them away and Tidus went instead to where the others had gone.

He found them on a dock up ahead, pausing as he saw the many bodies floating in the water. The were wrapped in blankets and other clothing, but it did nothing to hide what they were. Yuna was further up ahead speaking to the older woman from before, so Tidus went to Lulu instead.

"Uh, what's a "sending"? Are we going somewhere?" He mentally slapped himself for asking so callously.

Lulu huffed at him, " You truly are clueless. Are you sure it's just your memory that's the problem?" He turned away from her and she sighed going on, "The dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. Sad, isn't it?"

He tried to digest what she had just told him. If fiends were really just the spirits or whatever of those dead, then they were really killing people that just looked like fiends...or something like that.

_Do they know what they do, do they feel it when we kill them or-_

"Hmph, don't think on it too hard," She told him. He supposed that was he way of comforting him.

"The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace." She turned back to Yuna.

"Summoners do all this?" She nodded and he wondered what exactly a summoner was imperative to do.

------------------------------------

He watched as Yuna finished her talk with the woman and removed her shoes. She stood at the edge of the water concentrating, then walked forward. He couldn't believe it, even as he watched her. She walked on the surface of the water, over the bodies that floated beneath. Then she began to dance.

It was like no dance he had ever seen. There was an infinite sadness about it, one that slowly filled him with resent. That intern was paired with despair as he watched tears slide down her face. Small globes of colored light floated out of the bodies and surrounded Yuna, slowly dissipating as the dance continued. He had seen them before, whenever a fiend was defeated they emerged from it and floated away, but now they were being drawn out and sent to this 'farplane'.

Those around him cried, some even collapsing with grief, but he didn't notice. He watched in horror as the dance continued.

------------------------------------------

Once the dance had ended, the villagers surrounded Yuna offering their gratitude.

"How does she do it?" He asked Lulu quietly, "To be a summoner, it must...be tough."

She didn't respond at first, but when she did, he could hear a sad agreement in her voice, "Yuna chose her own path. She knew from the beginning what it meant. All we can do is protect her along the way. Until the end."

The finality in her voice scared him, "Until the...end? What end?"

Lulu glared at him, walking towards Yuna as she spoke, "Until she defeats Sin."

"Oh." He shrugged as he followed, relieved. Lulu embraced Yuna, stroking her hair.

"I hope...I hope I did okay." She gave Lulu a shaky smile.

"You did very well! They've reached the Farplane by now. But...no tears next time, hm?" Yuna nodded.

_Next time...I don't want there to be a next time. No more people being killed by Sin. No more sendings for Yuna. No more crying..._

--------------------------------

Tidus stepped out of the inn as people rushed around him, eager to get started on fixing the town. They had been invited to stay in Kilika's inn, which had remained relatively untouched, as thanks for the sending and also the Aurochs help with fixing up some of the homes. He had awoken to find that despite the sun barley being up, everyone was already up and about.

"Hey! You awake? Cap'n Wakka's waitin' for you!" Tidus looked over to see Datto, one of the Aurochs.

Given how little of the town was left, Wakka was not hard to find. He and the remainder of the Aurochs were busy fixing a hut at the far end of town, where the boat had docked. Wakka turned as he approached.

"Hey Wakka, why didn't you guys wake me up?" He could have helped with the project, but now it looked as though they were almost done.

"Hm, after what happened yesterday we figured you needed the extra sleep," he turned back to his team "Besaid Aurochs! Huddle!"

They gathered around their leader. When they had all assembled he spoke. "On to the temple, where we pray for victory!" They let out a small cheer and left.

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"High Summoner Ohalland used to live in the Kilika temple here. Yep, Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzer, you know?" He told Tidus as they left for the temple. He stopped when he saw Tidus wasn't following him. He looked serious which was a first since meeting him.

"What?"

"Wakka..." The boy scanned the horizon and the ruined remains of the town. "Praying for victory's all good...but is this right?"

"Hm. Something wrong with enjoying blitzball?"

"Is this really the time?"

Hm, now he understood, the kid didn't quite understand what blitzball was and what it meant around here. "This is the only time! The players fight with all their strength; the fans cheer for their favorite team. They forget pain, suffering... Only the game matters! That's why blitz has been around for so long. Least that's what I think."

"Whatever..." Tidus didn't look convinced, but he knew that he would understand soon enough. They started towards the temple once more and Wakka found himself wondering about the boy and the world he knew.

_A world without Sin...what would that be like..?_

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To get to the temple, they would have to cross through a large jungle. As the pair neared the entrance, they saw the others waiting for them up ahead. Tidus was relieved but noticed that Wakka seemed confused, even a little disturbed. He went straight for Lulu, concern on his face.

"What's up? Somethin' wrong?"

She didn't even look at him, instead she turned to Tidus, "Yuna's saying she wants you with us."

"Huh?" Wasn't he already with them?

"I want to ask you to be my guardian." Yuna smiled at up.

Both men where taken aback, but was Wakka who spoke. "Yuna! What? This is no times for jokes, ya? He may be a blitzball whiz kid, but up against fiends, he's a newbie."

Tidus was insulted by the remark but Yuna spoke before he could.

She had stopped smiling, but looked at Wakka in earnest, "Not a guardian, then...I just want him nearby."

"Wha?!" Wakka stood there stunned.

"What? What do you mean?" Now he really didn't understand. To him it almost sounded...

Yuna looked down and spoke, "It's just that, well..."

"We're all going to the temple anyway. Can't this wait till later?" Lulu asked and Yuna, relieved nodded.

She turned back to Tidus, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I'm just not really sure what's going on." And he wasn't.

"My apologies." She bowed quickly to him and ran after the older woman.

He stood there speechless. He would have given up almost anything just to know what she was talking about. He felt himself being shoved forward as Wakka, looking just as confused as him, motioned for them to continue on.

-----------------------------

They soon found that they would have to detour in order to get to the temple as a large fiend blocked the path. As they traveled they encountered many fiends, but Wakka explained that that can happen when Sin appears. It took almost twenty minutes cross the twisted expanse, but Tidus found himself disappointed as they neared the temple.

"We gotta climb those?" He looked at the stairs in front of them. They were long and he figure it would probably take as much time to climb them as it had to get here.

"O-ho! These stone steps have a history, you know? Yep, Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak." Wakka smiled as both Datto and Letty gave each other knowing looks.

"We propose a race ya," Datto challenged them.

"A race, huh?" Tidus was feeling a bit better about this now. "Think you can beat me?"

"Mm," Wakka nodded as the lined up, "Yuna, if you would."

She stood a little ahead of them and out her arm up in the air, "Ready?" Then dropping her arm she ran up the stairs giggling. They all stood there stunned, before realizing what she had done.

"Hey! Hey!" Wakka shouted running after him. The Aurochs followed, but she had a good lead on them.

"Ah! Huh? Hey!" Tidus ran after them laughing.

----------------------------------

Lulu watched in amusement as they raced up the stairs. Kimari shook his head before following, but Lulu thought she saw him smiling.

"Kids..." She laughed making her way up as well.

--------------------------------

As he neared the top the Aurochs came racing down shouting.

"L-Look out!"

Wakka met them there. "Everyone, quick! Sinspawn!" He ran back, leading the way.

There, coming out of the ground and destroying the stone walkway as it did, was what appeared to be a large green seed. Large tentacle like vines hovered next to it idlie. Tidus took the sword from his back and readied himself. The creature was unresponsive as they neared and Wakka motioned for them to attack. Neither his sword, Kimari's spear or Wakka's foot seemed to have any effect.

"It's hard as rock! My sword's no good!" He tried once more, but with the same result.

"How 'bout magic?" Wakka turned to Lulu. Nodding she cast a spell, fire by the looks of it. The tenticles sprang to life and absorbed the attack, swatting at the attackers before resuming their previous action.

Lulu shook her head in annoyance, "Its tentacles absorb any spell cast at its body!"

Then Tidus had an idea. "Lulu keep casting at the body! Kimari, follow my lead!" He ran towards the tentacle and began slashing wildly at it. Kimari, seeing what the boy was doing, headed for the second tentacle and attacked. Unsure of what to do, they tried to loose their assailants, but Tidus was too fast for them to hit and Kimari seemed unfazed by the assault. Meanwhile Lulu was casting fire at the now unprotected body, while Wakka stood back with Yuna, protecting her while she healed them. Soon the creature seemed fed up with its unsuccessful tactics and the hard shell that Tidus had though to be a seed, unfolded itself reveling its true form. It appeared to be a plant of sorts, though it had a small head emanating from its large body. It had two arms, but instead of finger it had long vines like the ones they had just fought.

It was soon apparent that Tidus and Kimari where outmatched as dodging became enduring as the creature assaulted them. Lulu continued to cast on the body, but it seemed to be doing significantly less damage then what was needed. Yuna watched in horror as he team was being beaten down and opted to do the only thing she could think of.

She summoned. Once more the Aeon flew down, but seeing the predicament it reared its head, readying it`s attack.

"Everyone!" She shouted at her companions. Seeing the Aeon, they ran behind it, with Tidus and Kimari keeping a safe distance between them and the summoner. The vines tried to follow, but would only stretch so far. Then Valfor let out its attack in the form of a laser that flew across the ground and the fiend. It seemed unaffected by the attack, but the dark line left behind glowed then exploded, tearing the spawn apart. Seeing the job done, the Aeon flew up and dissapeared.

"Yeesh!" Tidus said exasperated as they regrouped.

Wakka gave him a pat on the back, "Sorry about that! Hoped to break you in a little slower."

"Being a guardian's tiring!" He panted still trying to catch his breath.

"You handled yourself pretty well. You got talent." He smiled at the boy.

"Nah," But he practically glowed at the complement. "So, what are these "sinspawn" anyway?"

"Fiends. They fall from Sin's body and are left behind in its wake." Lulu came over, followed by Kimari.

"Leave 'em alone, and Sin comes back for 'em. You gotta be quick!" Wakka said and started for another set of stairs across from the Spawn. They followed warily.

"So, uh...they got fiends in Zanarkand, too?" Wakka asked, looking away.

"Just a few. It's a big deal when one shows up, though." It took a moment for him to realize what had just been asked. "Hey! Since when have you believed me about Zanarkand, anyway?"

He shrugged, looking up at the remaining stone steps, "I been thinking. Maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries 'em through time. Like a thousand years through time. And then one day, maybe they just pop back, see?"

Behind them Lulu stopped. When they looked back, she glared at Wakka. "Amazing. Simply amazing."

"Hm?" Wakka didn't get it.

"You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth. Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. Sin crushed him and left him on the Djose shore! Your brother won't just pop back." Wakka flinched, but she went on. "Oh, and one more thing. No matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place. No one can replace Sir Jecht, for that matter. And there's no replacement for Lord Braksa, either. It's pointless to think about it, and sad." She walked away, back up the steps and Yuna followed, casting Wakka a worried glance as she did.

He sat down, "I...I could never be what Chappu was." He punched to ground, unfazed by the fact it was made of stone. "Well, stuff happens. Best not to worry." He got up and followed the girls.

_Wakka, Lulu, and Wakka's brother Chappu. Something had happened between them a long time ago, I know it, but...maybe that's none of my business...best to leave it be, I guess._

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The temple was much more elegant then the one at besaid. Part of the walkway was made of glass and beneath it a blue fire could be seen; yet it gave off no heat. They walked towards the temple entrance when three men walked out, dress similar to the Aurochs, but with their clothes colored differently. They sneered at Wakka as they went by.

"You here to pray for victory, too?" He asked.

They laughed haughtily, "Us? Pray? Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!" It was the teams captain who spoke.

"We've been praying for some competition this year!" Said another.

"So what's your goal this time? You gonna "do your best" again? Ha! It's too bad your best isn't good enough! Why even bother showing up?" He laughed and they walked away, ignoring Wakka's protests.

"See you in the finals!" Wakka shouted after them, before sulking into the temple. Lulu and Kimari followed, but Yuna stayed behind as Tidus glared after them.

"We'll beat them. We have to!" He growled under his breath.

"You know that team?" Yuna seemed unsure of where his anger was stemming from.

He scoffed, "Putting people down...They're as bad as my old man!"

"But, Sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!"

"Well, not my Jecht." Even after all these years, just thinking about his father sent tendrils of anger surging through him. Yuna sighed, but stood with him until he turned back, moving to the temples entrance.

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As the entered they saw Wakka kneeling in front of one of the statues, though it seemed as though he was just finishing up. The door at the top of the stairs open and two people, a man and a woman, came sauntering out.

The woman looked over at Yuna, "A summoner, are you?"

She nodded and smiled, "My name is Yuna-- from the Isle of Besaid."

"Dona." The woman looked Yuna over. "So, you're High Summoner Braska's daughter. That's quite a name to live up to."

Yuna glanced away and Dona looked over at the others. "My, my, my...And all these people are your guardians? My, what a rabble! As I recall, Lord Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one guardian. Right, Barthello?"

The large man next to her nodded. They made as if to leave, but Yuna was not disheartened by the other summoners words.

"I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust. I trust them all with my life! To have so many guardians is a joy, and an honor! Even more so than being my father's daughter. Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace." Dona seemed taken aback, but quickly recovered, inadvertently admitting defeat.

"You do what you want. Barthello, we're leaving." They left and Yuna sighed, her shoulders sagging.

A guardian was someone a summoner can rely on. Someone she could trust with her life. Suddenly it seemed like a much harder job then he thought. But more then that it brought up questions about what had happened earlier.

_I wonder, does Yuna feel that way about me?_

He looked over at her and was surprised to see her looking back. She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled back shyly.

_What's she smiling about?_

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They opened the door to the cloister of trials, which lead to a small hallway and what looked like a dead end, though Tidus recognized it as an elevator, similar to the one in the temple of Besaid.

"The fayth is below. Let's do it!" Wakka said, confidently.

"The 'fayth'?" Tidus asked, but he was ignored.

"But first, the Cloister of Trials. Kimahri? Wakka? Ready?" Lulu asked them and they nodded. As they went forward, Kimari held out his arm, blocking Tidus' path.

"Wha? Hey, what gives?"

"You're not a guardian yet." Lulu said.

"Um... We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Yuna assured him as the elevator began its descent.

"Oh, sure! Soon like 'tomorrow' soon, I bet!" He cried, but they had already gone. He leaned against the wall unhappily. He hated being alone like this, it gave him more time to think and that was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

_A guardian...I wonder if I could do it..._

He was startled out of thought as the door back to the temple opened and Dona and her guardian came waltzing in. They seemed relatively surprised to see him there.

"Where's Yuna?" Dona voiced her concern. When he waved to the lift she looked even more confused. "Then why are you here?"

"I'm not a guardian, so I'm not supposed to go in," he grumbled in response. Something suspicious was going on, made even more so when she smiled.

"Hmmm. Not a guardian, you say?" She waved to her own guardian and stooped to pick Tidus up.

"Hey! Wait! Ah! Lemme go! Ow! Hey! What's the big idea?" He yelled as he was thrown down onto the lift.

"Just a little game." She laughed as the lift descended.

"Oh no...this is...bad." He looked up at their shrinking forms and yelled.

"Jerks!"

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He found himself in a room that was once again strikingly familiar to Besaid. He tried the lift but it wouldn't go up, probably due to Dona and her idiot bodyguard.

"Hmph, since I'm already here, guess there's no reason not to go forward." he didn't know what would happen now that he was here, but it couldn't be that bad....right?

It wouldn't surprise him if the preforming of the actual trails was the punishment, because it sure felt like one. He had to solve a bunch of puzzles revolving around several types of spheres, but the catch had been that he could only carry one at a time, and they all did different things depending on where they were placed. He sighed in relief as what appeared to be the final passage opened up to him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka came running up to him as he entered.

"It was Dona and that big musclehead man!" He wasn't going to be blamed for this one.

Lulu shook her head, "Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!"

"Uh... What consequences?"

"She could be excommunicated!" He didn't know what that meant, but it sounded bad. "Look just stay here and maybe no one will notice."

Lulu huffed at that, but despite her mood he had to ask, "So what's in there anyway?"

"The fayth, remember?" Said Wakka, ever hopeful.

"Oh yeah, that thing. Right." His response was laced with sarcasm, but the man didn't notice, Lulu on the other hand did.

"The fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin. Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies." She looked over at the sealed door across the room. "Now they live forever, trapped in statues. But when a summoner beckons, the souls of the fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an aeon."

"All that in this room? S-So what's Yuna doing in there?"

"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin." He looked over at the boy speaking even before he could, "The chamber beyond is a sacred place. Only summoners may enter. It's taboo."

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It was another ten minutes before the chamber door opened, and as it did a song could be heard emanating from it.

_No...That song, it's....I remember it from back then...._

It was a song he remembered from childhood, one that brought back a flood of memories. Suddenly, all he wanted was to go back home.

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As they left the temple the feelings had just grown bigger and bigger. He stood there a moment watching the people go by, sighing as he did so.

"Are...are you okay?" It was Yuna.

He shrugged, "I...I don't know."

"What do you want to do?" She sounded worried, but he couldn't find it in himself to cheer her up.

"I want...To scream real loud." She chuckled nervously at that, unsure if he really meant it.

He did.

"AAAAAAAAAUUGH!" He screamed as hard as he could. Both Wakka and Kimari turned frantically at the sound, though Lulu hearing the previous conversation, ignored him.

"Feel better?" Yuna asked. He turned and smiled and she knew he did.

Wakka gave him a carefree smack across the head, "Off to Luca at last! The matches start soon as we get there, so rest up on the way, ya?"

They headed back to the ship, apprehensive, but in good spirits.

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**Fww...Next chapter out. I had a hard time getting started on this one, but once I did I got into it. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain the trails and I was terrified at typing out Yuna's dance, but I think it turned out ok. So, until next we meet. lol**


	8. Memories and Revelations

**Sorry, another dialogue heavy chapter. Don't worry though, more dialogue means more story, though it's another short chapter.**

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Tidus stared lazily out the cabins window, watching the glimmer of the late-day sun as it reflected off the endless ocean. So far the trip to Luca had been fairly uneventful, which was a good thing of course; giving peace of mind to those who had been on route from Besaid to Kilika. But still...as they traveled, he found himself falling deeper and deeper into the quiet depression that had enveloped him at Kilika. The sense that even now, his hope of ever going home felt as though it was slipping away, like cupping water in his hands. No matter what he tried to tell himself, there were always cracks and openings for it to slip through. He sighed heavily, stretching as he stood up. Maybe talking with Yuna would help get his mind off things.

Above deck, everyone was on high alert. Several guards stood around watching, never taking their eyes off the darkening horizon. The first thing he spotted coming up was the one person he wanted to find...standing with the last people on Spira he wanted see. Only three of the Luca Goers were there, but it was the same three that had bad-mouthed the Aurochs. They all turned to him as he approached.

He spoke to Yuna, asking quietly, "What are you guys talking about?"

"Who are you supposed to be?" Once more it was the Goers captain who spoke first interrupting Yuna's reply.

"Ah, I remember him. Guy from Kilika." The second man laughed, he clearly remembered the confrontation outside the temple.

"Hmm?" Captain obviously didn't.

"You know, one of the Besaid Aurochs. I think he said somethin' about beating us?" The very idea seemed like a joke to them.

"Oh, right. You're that idiot." The hesitation in his voice said that he still didn't remember, but laughed anyway. With everything that had been happening recently, Tidus found he just couldn't take it anymore and balled his hand into a fist. But it seemed that he wasn't the only one furious over the insult.

"Don't call him that!" Yuna yelled, surprising all four of them, Tidus included.

The captain recovered first, "But he is an idiot. They don't got what it takes to win the cup." The other two members looked unsure about teasing the boy, not wanting to make the summoner angrier.

"They will win!" Tidus was glad Yuna had faith in him, it made him feel...proud. But what Yuna said next beat what ever elation he felt right out of him. "He used to be the star player of the Zanarkand Abes!"

Even the captain was left speechless at this, though for an entirely different reason then what Yuna wanted.

"Huh, as if anyone lived in those ruins." The mans voice was laced with trepidation, despite the good nature he put into his words. For the first time since they had met, Tidus really wished she would stop talking.

"It's not ruins, there's a big city there! There is!" It was then that she noticed the looks they gave her, but still she continued, though less enthusiastically. "There is a city, really!"

The men glance at each other before turning to Yuna. "Right. Whatever your Ladyship says." The laughter in his voice was not lost to anyone. Yuna glared at them as they made there way below deck, but it was soon replaced by a look of hurt.

"What's wrong? You seemed kinda mad back there." He smiled at her to show that he was joking, but Yuna missed it.

Sighing, she looked back at him, "They were being rude and... I do believe your Zanarkand exists. I really do, you know!"

"How come?" The question had been nagging at him ever since their trip to Kilika.

"Sir Jecht used to always tell me stories. It'd be great to see your home someday." She turned away to stare at the golden waters. He barley heard her has she whispered to herself. "I'd love to go there."

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Night had fallen and most of the passengers had retied below deck, save for Tidus who wandered aimlessly above and Yuna who, guarded by Kimari, continued to stare at the blacked waters. Above even the deck, on a small lookout Lulu watched them both, sighing deeply before turning back to Wakka.

"Well? Say something. You'll take responsibility?" The conversation had been going on for a while now and she had lost most of the anger that had been so prevalent earlier.

"Relax! He's bound to know someone in Luca." At least that's was what he kept telling himself.

"And if not?"

"He could always join a blitz team. Anyhow, it's better than just leaving him in Besaid!" He winced knowing what was coming next.

"What? Just leaving him in Luca?" He could hear a hint of cruel innocence in her voice.

"What do you want me to do!?" He had to stop himself from shouting.

"Yuna wants to make him a guardian."

"Oh, yeah, geez...There's that too, eh?" They both understood the problems that could arise should that happen. Regardless of the kids 'talent' they both agreed that that path should be avoided.

"Why do you think she wants to make him a guardian, anyway?"

"Because he's Sir Jecht's son." Lulu stated it like fact, despite her own misgivings.

"Oh right."

_Wait...._

"You sure 'bout that? He's really Sir Jecht's son?" He had never met the man, few people had.

She sighed, looking down at the summoner, then over to the spirited youth that paced below. "It's hard to say, but Yuna seems to believe so."

"Okay."

She turned sharply, glrring at him. "'Okay?' 'Okay?' That's all you have to say?"

He shrugged, "Well, yeah, I mean...He's gotta decide for himself, ya? Well, him and Yuna, I guess."

"You're right, for once." She seemed genuinely surprised; Wakka cast her a look of mock outrage provoking a small smile.

"I wonder which is best..." The journey would be a dangerous one and things had not been going well since last year. Lulu had not seen Yuna really smile in a long time. It had made her happy to see her laugh like she had yesterday, before Sins attack. "Why don't you tell him he should?"

"Should what?" Wakka it seemed had been lost in his own thoughts.

"Become Yuna's guardian."

"Why would we want him...." He thought a moment, "Why should I-"

"Because Yuna can't." She looked over at the hapless confused look on his face. He could be so dense sometimes... "He hates his father- what he was, what he did. Do you really think she can possibly say to him... 'I want you to be my guardian, like your father was to mine?'"

"Aren't you being over-sensitive?" She had to stop herself from hitting him, but he got it. "All right, all right. I'll try talking to him after the tournament."

"Oh and Wakka, be discreet."

"I know, it's his decision." They lapsed into silence. Wakka found he wanted to continue, after all it had been almost a year since they had spoken like this, even if the current topic was a less-then-happy one. "So... He doesn't like his father?"

"Apparently. He told Yuna as much."

"Hating your own father, huh? Sounds like a luxury to me. I don't even remember my parents. Can't say how I feel about 'em."

"I...I was five then, so I remember mine a little." There was a sadness in her voice that made him angry.

"Dammit!" He punched the deck, "Sin just takes everything away from us." They both knew the conversation was over now.

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Once more he was reminded of how much he hated to be alone. All his doubts and worries came crashing down on him and he drastically tried to sort through them. He was so lost in thought, he hardly had time to catch himself as he tripped and fell. A blitzball rolled away, bouncing off the ships mast and coming to a stop in front of him. He resisted the urge to throw it overboard, opting instead to get a little practice done. It had only been a few days since he had played, but if these guys were as bad as he thought, he would have to make sure he was ready. There was no one around, save for Yuna but she was on the other side of the ship. Practicing like this and with all the talk of his father, brought back memories.

He could almost see himself there only seven years old, alone on on his houseboat trying to kick the ball. He had wanted so desperately to be better then_ him, _but no matter how hard he tried, he could never do it.

_"Well, well, trying to follow in my footsteps, are you?" He stopped as the familiar voice cut through him. He didn't want his father to see him practicing. The man continued. "I usually charge for lessons, you know..."_

_"That shot is done... like this!" He didn't want to watch, but he knew he had too. The man finished his 'signature move' and turned back to the boy. "You can't do it, kid. But don't worry, my boy. You're not the only one. No one else can do it. I'm the best!"_

The memory made him furious. No matter how hard he'd tried, he was never good enough for _him_. He had practiced for months trying to get it right, but he couldn't. Everytime he tried that memory would come back haunting him, a tortured reminder of his 'incompetence.' It had been years since he attempted it, but all the anger and frustration of the last few days...No, of the last ten years came back to him and he needed to do it. If he couldn't do one stupid move, how was he supposed to make it as a guardian, or as anything for that matter.

The move was a flurry of kicks trying to keep the ball suspended and confuse the other players, though it was a lot easier to do underwater. It was supposed to be the ultimate move, able to break through any defense. As he gave the ball a final kick, he realized that he had done it. He had beat him and now, more then ever he wanted to see his father, just to rub it in.

"The best? Yeah, right."

A hand slapped him across his back and he turned to see Wakka staring at him in amazement. "Whoah! What's that called?"

He shrugged, "doesn't have a name. Anyone can do it if they try."

Wakka ran around, looking around the ship for another blitzball. When he found one he came back, holding it out to the boy, "show me one more time, ya?"

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Wakka had finally calmed down and decided to retire for the night along with Lulu, who had also witnessed the performance, though it didn't seem to impress her quite as much. He leaned over the rail, watching the stars reflect over the still waters. He didn't even notice as Yuna came and stood beside him.

"That was the Jecht shot, wasn't it?" Her voice was soft, as though she didn't want to disturb him.

"How do you know that?" He kind of had an idea, but asked anyway.

"Sir Jecht showed it to me when I was a child. He called it the 'Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark III.'" She laughed lightly at the name.

Her exuberance was contagious and he found himself smiling as he rolled his eyes, "Stupid name, huh?"

"You know what? There is no Mark I or Mark II, you know? My old man said the name Mark III was just something to hook the crowd. He said they'd come back every night expecting to see Mark I and Mark II. And, they really did come back." He frowned, remembering. "I used to get... so mad."

They stood in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. He looked over at her and was once again taken with her beauty, intensified by the soft light of the moon shining down on them. She turned to him and smiled. Suddenly he had the feeling that he could tell her anything and he knew she would believe him; that no matter what he said, she would never get mad. It almost hurt him though, he couldn't remember that last time he felt that way about anyone. She was still watching him, tilting her head in a way that asked 'whats wrong?'"

"Yuna do you think...he's alive?" The question had be on his mind since their conversation on the boat to Kilika.

She closed her eyes for a moment, considering his question. "I don't know. But, Sir Jecht was my father's guardian."

"Hmph, so he's famous here, too?" For whatever reason, he found it funny.

"Yes. So if anything happened to him, I should think word would get around fast." She watched him, looking for a reaction to her statement. "What would you do, if you found him?"

He didn't know. He hadn't let himself think he could still be here on Spira and now that he might, Tidus wasn't sure what he'd do. Yuna watched him, giving him a look that said she was expecting an answer.

"Who knows? I thought he died ten years ago. Well...I'd probably just smack him one. After everything he put Mom and me through. Because he was famous, I was always..." He didn't want to say it, "Well, you should know, Yuna."

"Hm?"

"Your father's famous, too. Everyone in Spira knows him, right?" She nodded for him to go on. "Don't you find it hard?"

He could see that she understood very well.

"It is hard to follow in his footsteps, as a summoner." She thought a moment more, "But the honor of having a father like him surpasses all that, I think."

He could understand that, but he knew that her father and his were two very different people. At least to him. "Well, there wasn't much to honor about my old man, that's for sure."

"You shouldn't say that about your father!"

"I got the right!" He instantly cringed at the tone and sharpness he had directed at her. But once again she didn't seem to mind.

"Hm. I guess you do." He voice was sad, not at his tone but at his words. It occurred to him then that Jecht must have changed a lot since he came to Spira, as Yuna saw a completely different person in him then he had.

"Yuna, I'm sor-Ouch!" A blitzball hit him square across the head. He turned to it's owner, ready to give them a piece of his mind, when out of the corner of his eye he saw Yuna trying to hide her smile. He sighed, albeit happily and walked over to Wakka.

"Hey! It's past your bedtime, kiddos!" He laughed, leading them back towards the cabin. Everyone else appeared to have long since turned in for the night and Yuna turned off as they came to their rooms.

"Good night." Yuna gave him one last smile and left for her own room.

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**Chapter seven out at last! (though it accually didn't take that long for it to be relased) Sorry, I've been pretty sick laely so although I had the spare time to right this, there might be some mistake that I wasn't able to catch. Love you guys and your reviews (I feed off them) and I can't wait to get started on the next chapter. One of my favorite characters is introduced next, so I'll see you then!**


	9. Just Whistle

**Bloody hell, this took forever to write! Sorry I've been so busy, but the others shouldn't take this long. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, it's keeps me writing!Thanks escpecially to zm4u and Rod M. Aster for keeping with me the whole way!**

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"Whoa..."

Tidus watched as the boat drifted past the city of Luca to the ports situated on the other side. Although the city was only about the tenth the size of Zanarkand, it was impressive in many other ways. With Zanarkand the buildings were over looming and crowded together, dirty, grungy and dark, even in the light of day. In Luca the buildings were small but bright and clean surrounded by the same blue pristine waters that encompassed the islands. Brightly colored balloons littered the sky while crowds of happy people paraded below; laughter excitement could be heard coming from all around. He smiled gently to himself as Wakka`s words finally made sense. Even in all their pain and suffering, the people could find joy in the simple act of celebration and forget their pain, if only for a while.

As they neared the ports a voice could be heard on the speakers scattered around, filled with the same excitement and energy that enveloped the small city. Most of the passengers had accumulated on the upper deck, but they all stood aside waiting. Tidus went to disembark but Wakka grabbed his arm and pulled him back nodding as Kilika's blitz team stroad forward.

"Ah, over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now! This would be dock number 2. All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts! High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them--a big name to live up to. Their hometown was recently attacked by Sin. Isn't that right, Jimma?" The bubbly voice announced as the Kilika Beasts waved there arms at the crowd that was gathering.

"Yes, Bobba. They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year." They walked off the ship and Wakka pushed him forward, motioning the rest of their team to follow. None of them looked like they wanted to be introduced and Tidus soon found out why.

"Exciting, isn't it folks? Our next team off the ramp is...Well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs! They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad! That's right! In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today." Tidus saw one person in the crowd that gave a small wave and an even quiter cheer.

"Best of luck to them and a safe journey back to Besaid."

Half the team had gone beet red, mumbling as they went forward, hiding behind the crowd. Tidus shot Wakka a sympathetic look and the older man offered a strained smile as he ruffled the boys messy blond locks.

"Right, Jimma. Moving right along, our next team is... Here they are, folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power! They've got speed! They've got teamwork! They're an all-around first-class team! And they're back home in Luca!" It seemed most of the crowd had gathered specifically for the team as the fans erupted in a loud cheer that seemed to stem for all over Luca.

"Without a doubt, they are the favorite this year, Bobba. And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today."

"You can say that again, Jimma. Look at the crowd, folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on! They know, I know, and you know, folks! The Luca Goers are number one!"

Tidus kick a nearby crate as he watched the rest of the passengers disembark. He had never seen a team treated this callously before but then, he had never heard of a team as bad as the Aurochs. He kicked the crate again, smiling as he felt it give in a little. A hand on his shoulder pulled him away from his hapless victim and he turned to see Wakka give him another forced smile.

"It's like this every year, ya? Don't let it bother you." Wakka rubbed his neck nervously as he turned and gave his team a thumbs up, seemingly unsurprised when only one of them responded, albit with a sigh.

_Dammit! We're never going to win like this._

One of the most important things Tidus had learned in his career was that it only took one person to screw up a game and with the entire team moping, there was no way they would be focused enough to play. They all stood around the end dock with looks that clearly read 'why try, it's not like we're going to win anyway' and he knew he had to do something. Climbing up on the pile of crates he curled his hands around his mouth and shouted into the adoring mass.

"Stop right there, Goers! You guys are smilin' now, but not for long!" Everyone stopped to look at the seemingly crazy boy. Encouraged he continued on, "'Cause this year, us Aurochs are taking the cup!" He laughed as he was pulled down by an amused yet irked Wakka.

"What in Yevon's name were you doing up there?" Tidus shrugged happily, a content smile on his lips. He could see the teams mood had drastically improved at his antics.

"We sure stood out, though!" Datto cried buoyantly.

"We were on the sphere!" Letty pointed to one of the large screens near the the entrance.

"We were?" The whole team was enthusiastic as they argued who had gotten the most on-air time. The rest of their group had joined them, all understanding what he had done and why. Even Lulu gave him a small smile as she rolled her eyes at him. Yuna beamed at him, placing a delicate hand on his arm. He felt a shock go through his body at the touch, confused as he wanted to push her away and pull her closer at the same time. Her skin was soft and warm, the light creaminess an almost stark contrast to his darkly tanned arm. A crowd of people rushed by them, shouting excitedly.

"Maester Mika is here!"

"Already?"

"The number 3 dock!"

Tidus watched confused as more people left at the announcement, "What's up now?"

Yuna looked back at him, anticipation shining in her eyes as her grip on him tightened a little before pulling away. " Maester Mika has arrived, that's what!" She strode forward following the masses as they descended on the next dock, Kimarhi following loyally behind.

Tidus' eyes flickered to the ground briefly as mild disappointment raced through him; shrugging it off he turned to his Wakkapedia. "Mika? Maester?"

But it was Lulu who answered for him. "Maester Mika is the leader of all the peoples of Spira. He's come all the way from Bevelle. The tournament is being held to honor his fifty years as Maester."

_Fifty years..._

"That's really...old, shouldn't he be, uh, retired by now?" He flinched as Wakka clipped him across the head.

"Hey! Mind your mouth, now." He looked over at the dock and Tidus swore he saw the same childish excitement in his eyes that he had seen in Yuna's. "Let's ah, go see him ya...ta you know, help you learn."

Tidus couldn't help but laugh as he followed the group to the next dock. His good humor quickly turned to irritation as the people crowded together, impeding his path to Yuna. Wakka pushed him forward, almost shoving his way through to get to the front, though the glares seemed to be directed at Tidus who was now being dragged along. It took almost ten minutes to reach the front of the crowd, but it seemed they made it just in time, as guard were slowing beginning to disembark. Bored, Tidus focused instead on Yuna, who stood watching.

"That's a Guado, right?' A whisper came from behind.

"Who could it be?"

Turning his attention back to the ship, Tidus watched as a young man in long robes strode forward. Tidus immediately took in the other mans odd appearance. He had spike blue hair that almost reached his shoulders, with one long bang in front. His chest was bare, showing dark tattoos and light blue veins running along his body. The same veins appeared on his face, though they were so faint they almost weren't noticeable. The mans blue eyes scanned the crowd before he turned to kneel before the ship. Everyone in the crowd bowed as an elderly man descended; Unlike the 'guado' who appeared to be in his late twenties, the man before them looked almost one hundred. He walked with a hunch, stopping before his people.

"People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome. Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well. I present to you...the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past." Despite his appearance, the maesters voice was strong. "As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a maester of Yevon."

Seymour turned a bowed before the crowd, speaking in a smooth voice. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as maester to the best of my abilities." He prayed deeply before them as they watched him in awe.

Once more the crowd bowed. He felt Wakka nudge him, "you, too! Bow your head!"

He nodded but made no move to do so, after all these were their customs, not his. He turned back to Seymour, his crystal clear eyes meeting the man icy blue ones. He froze as the man gave him a questioning look, riddled with what could almost be amusement and flicker of something deeper and darker. The man turned away, focusing instead on Yuna, who's head was still down; another flicker of that dark salacity flashed again. Yuna seemed to feel his stares and she looked up, meeting his eyes. He favored her with a small smile and a flirtatious look, and she glanced back down blushing, though seemingly upset. Anger flashed through Tidus and he glared at the man, who smiled and turned away back to Mika. No one else noticed the brief confrontation, but he kept his eyes on the maester until the man walked away and out of sight. The crowd was quick to disperse, reading up for the upcoming games.

"Really psyches you up, ya? All right! Last meeting before the match! Hustle!" Wakka slapped his back, oblivious to either's concern.

----------------------------------

Tidus shuffled into the Aurochs locker room, still lost in thought and emotion over the Maester. The team looked up as he entered and groaned when they saw who it was or more, who it wasn't. He dropped down on one of the benches, glancing around as he did so.

"Where's Wakka?" His tone came out sounding aloof and several of his teammate eyed his curiously.

"At the match-up draws." Datto said, sounding hopeless as thought about it. The match-up would decide which teams faced off first.

"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year."

"The year before that, and the one before that, too!" A small grin broke out on Tidus' face as he thought about the unfortunate luck of the already horrendous team. The door opened again and everyone turned expectantly.

"Cap'n Wakka!" Datto looked at the smile of the captains face, breaking into his own.

"Heh-heh! We're playin' the Al Bhed Psyches first. If we win, we're in the finals!" The whole room erupted into a triumphant cheer. Wakka waved his hands down to calm them before continuing, "that's right, we got seeded! Two wins and we're the champions!"

Wakka toured around the room, randomly questioning his team on the basics, only stopping when once more the locker door opened. Yuna came running in excited with Lulu close behind.

"There you are!" She rushed over to Tidus and grabbed his hand pulling him to the door.

"What is it?" Tidus was glad to see the disturbed look gone, but was a little weirded out by her sudden impatience.

"Someone says they saw Sir Auron in a cafe!"

Tidus froze as her words dawned on him. "Au-Auron?"

"Yes, Sir Auron! Let's go find him!" She gave one last tug before racing back to the door. He stood hesitantly before nodding and joining her.

Wakka jumped up, blocking his path. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! The game starts like real soon! C-Come back quick, ya?"

"Hey, I'll be back." He side stepped Wakka, looking back with a smile.

"Yeah, okay."

Yuna pulled him out into the hall, grabbing his hand when he didn't immediately follow her.

"Maybe now we can find Sir Jecht."

"Huh? How?" She slowed her pace and look over at his confused face.

"Sir Auron was also my father's guardian. So, he might know where Sir Jecht is. Let's go now!" She dragged him out of the stadium and into a crowded square. He didn't know why but he knew that the Auron she spoke of and the one from Zanarkand were the same person. Even if he couldn't tell them where Jecht was (which he had mixed feeling about anyway) he could answer a few of his questions about Sin's attack, among other things.

The city was very busy and immensely congested, swarming with people. He had almost lost site of Yuna four times and had it not been for Kimarhi he may end up losing her completely. He wanted to keep close, but wasn`t sure how.

"I hope we don't get separated." She sounded distraught and he thought harder.

"Hey Yuna!" When she looked over at him he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Several people jumped at the sound and she watched him with wide eyes.

"What was that?" He laughed at the mystified expression on her face.

"In Zanarkand, we do this to cheer on blitz players" he whistled again. "You try it, too! Put your fingers in your mouth like this."

He came up closer and tried to show her. "Like this?"

"Uh-uh. Not like that. Like this." When it looked like she had it right he put hand to his mouth, watching as she mimicked his actions. "The just blow!" He whistled again, but it was cut short as be broke out into a fit of laughter at her attempt. She tried several times before giving up dejectedly.

"It's not working."

"Practice!"

"Okay." She tried again unsuccessfully.

"Hey, use that if we get separated. Then I'll come running, okay?" She nodded and tried again. He smiled at her unavailing attempt, "well, guess we should just stick together then, till you can do it."

"Yes sir!" She slid herself closer to him, her arm brushing against his and when they started walking again, he was sure to slow his pace with her, trying his best to keep their contact. After a few more minutes they reached the cities main square and Tidus found he was more then impressed with Luca.

"Whoa! This is a pretty big town!" Despite the distraction, he took full notice when she moved away.

"Luca is the second largest city in Spira." She watched as three children raced between them.

"I thought every town was little- you know, like Besaid and Kilika."

She looked down at the ground, "towns don't usually get bigger than that. Because when a lot of people start to gather..."

"Sin...? It was more of a statement then a question. Yuna nodded sadly, "what about Luca? It's safe here?"

"It's not any different, but the stadium is here. The Crusaders fight to protect it with all their strength." She waved over to the crowds and for the first time he noticed the armed soldiers inter mixed with the masses.

"They protect the stadium?" Once again Wakka words came back to him and he understood.

"Blitzball's really the only entertainment that we have. Spira's a little short on fun these days." She gave him a weak smile.

"Whoa! Talk about pressure!"

"That's right!" She smiled thoughtfully, "is Zanarkand like this, too?"

"Hmmmm...." He looked around, "well, there are more buildings. All tall ones and cramped together."

She swayed as she tried to imagine it. "Oooooh! They must be so tall! Don't you ever get dizzy?"

He doubled over in laughter at the ridiculousness of the statement. Giggling she grabbed his hand and dragged him, still laughing to the Luca Cafe. "Come on, let's go find Sir Auron!"

---------------------------------

The Cafe was full of people watching the large screen to the right of the bar, despite this, it didn't take long for Tidus to see that the man wasn't there.

"Auron's not here." He sagged into a nearby chair, cursing himself for getting his hopes up. Yuna watched him, disappointed but determined as she went from table to table asking anyone if they might have seen him. A few gasps shake him out of his slump and turning to see two Ronso standing at the door way, looming over (the forgotten) Kimarhi.

"Why not talk, Kimahri? Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something! Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?" Both Ronso where a good foot taller then Kimarhi, but it was the largest of the two that spoke.

"Leave Kimahri, Yenke. Kimahri is small Ronso. Kimahri so small can't see Yenke and Biran's faces." Both laugh at this and Tidus stood, ready to defend the quite guardian.

"Kimahri forget Ronso friends? We taught you much at time of horn-molt! Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso."

"Maybe taught too much."

They were pissing him off, he turned to Kimarhi, "Take 'em on!"

Kimarhi crouched, lunging at the smallest Ronso as he scoffed at him.

"Take it outside! The tournament's starting, you hear?" The bar owner shouted at them angrily.

"Oh, the game!" Tidus turned to stare in horror at the sphere screen.

Maester Mika appeared on screen speaking to the crowd, "today, on this glorious day, players from all over Spira have assembled here... to participate in this great contest of bravery, skill, and strength." The camera panned over the captains of each team then back to Mika. "All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserve to win the cup today. Such is the nature of this contest. Let us, the spectators, play our role accordingly: Let us sing to the glory of the winners, and applaud equally the valor of the defeated."

"Contestants, may Yevon be with you." Mika bowed and the screen went blank.

-------------------

Tidus growled, angry at himself for moping when Wakka was waiting patiently for him to return. He turned to get Yuna when he noticed something very wrong. "Kimahri! Yuna's gone!"

Kimarhi stopped alarmed and Yenke(?) used it hesitation to get a hit on Kimarhi. But the smaller Ronso ignored him and after seeing the Yuna was not in the cafe, rushed out. Tidus followed and almost ran headfirst into Lulu.

"Where in Spira have you been!?" Oh great what now... "Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches. In exchange for her safe return, they want the Aurochs to lose."

"What!?" They did what for what!? For a game!

She turned to Kimarhi, "if they're only blitzball players, I doubt they'd do anything drastic. But we shouldn't take chances. Let's go get her."

"I'm going too! This will be no problem! They're telling the Aurochs to throw the game, as if they needed to! I mean, how bad a team can they be?" lulu nodded as she bega n walking back to the stadium.

"Wakka said the same thing. He'll take care of the game. We should go get Yuna. The Al Bhed boat is in dock 4. Let's go."

Of course, the Al Bhed weren't making the job any easier as the pathway to the dock was blocked and they would need to go around to get there. As they passed dock 2 the sound of machinery could be heard up ahead. As they neared it two small yet dangerous looking robots came stood before them.

"Whoa! What are they?" Tidus pulled out his sword, ready to defend.

"Ancient machina salvaged by the Al Bhed." She cast thunder on one and it fell apart almost instantly. "They're very vulnerable to lightning."

They ran into more machina as they passed dock 3 and as they fought, Tidus could hear as the game was narrated from a sphere screen.

"The Aurochs are keeping the score tied with some excellent defense, folks!"

Lulu hit another with lighting as Tidus and Kimarhi ganged up on another.

"Ow! He'll feel that one in the morning!"

"Ah! But the referee doesn't call the foul! Wakka's taking a real beating out there."

As they find themselves at the 4th dock a large salvage ship pulls away. The three of them race, jumping on board. Sitting on deck is an even larger machina which comes to life as Tidus tries to get past it.

"Whoa! What the-" It pushed the boy away.

"Hm...I don't know how much damage my magic is going to be on this thing."

"What, oh come on," He shot his best desprite and pleading look her way before attacking. Lulu wasn't kidding when she said she wouldn't be able to do much, because her attacks did vertually nothing. Nor did any physical attacks from him of Kimarhi.

"Argh, what are-hey!" He noticed the crane sidled along the edge of the ship. Inching his way across the ship he fiddled with the controls, smiling as he heard the engine come to life. Carefully he positioned the arm above the machina and picked it up. It struggled helplessly against it; Tidus released the hold when the crane had moved above the water. It sank instantly but neither of the three relaxed. There could be tons of Al Bhed in the ship and they were probably all armed. They tensed as the door to the ships cabin opened and an Al Bhed came sliding out.

_Wait....Sliding...?_

They looked back and watched as Yuna came walking out, stepping over the unconscious guard. Tidus looked at her raising an eyebrow and she smiled back, blushing slightly.

"I hope you hurt them." lulu said hugging the summoner to her.

"A little."

Tidus wandered around the ship, looking for any signs that this might be the same one.

"What are you doing?" Yuna asked coming up behind him.

"There were these Al Bhed that saved my life when I first came to Spira. They took me on their ship, even gave me food. I was kinda hoping this was the same ship. But it's not. I wonder if they're all gone." He leaned against the rail, remembering Rikku, wondering if she was still alive.

"What happened?" Yuna came up next to him and leaned over as well.

"Sin came up near us. I made it out okay, but I don't know what happened to their ship."

"Um, was there anyone called Cid on that ship?" Tidus looked over at her curious.

"I don't know. They were all speaking Al Bhed."

"I see." She looked down at the water below.

"Who's Cid?"

"He's my uncle, but I've never actually met him."

"Huh?" Her uncle? then... "Wait. So that means you're Al Bhed too, Yuna?"

She smiled noddong, "on my mother's side, yes. Cid is my mother's brother. He became distant after my mother married. But she told me to seek him out if I ever needed help."

"You're worried he was...?" He gave her a sympathetic look as she looked down.

"Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's lineage. The thing about Wakka--he never had much love for the Al Bhed." Lulu told him sternly.

_Yeah, don't tell...wait! Oh shit!_

"I gotta tell-I mean the game!" All three looked at him in surprise, realization flooding there faces. Lulu turned and shot a large ball of light into the sky as Tidus rushed into the ship to turn the boat around

-------------------------------

"Thirty seconds left! The Aurochs are launching an all-out offensive!  
A long passe from Letty!  
It goes through!  
Oh...oh.  
He shoots!  
Goooooal!  
Unbelievable! The Aurochs win the match 3-2!"

_'Bout time..._

_------------------------------------------------------------------_

**Lol what would Tidus do without his Wakkapedia! I put lots of hints in this chapter, but not for what you might think. Lol you'll just have to figure out what they mean on you're own. Don't forget to review and I'll see you guys soon! (Hopefully)**


	10. Anima

**Sorry in a hurry to post this so there might be errors that I didn't catch. Sorry the Blitzball sounds kinda weird, but I wasn't sure how to write it. I just finished college so I'll have a bit of spare time to write more. Happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! (really I don't)  
**

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It took nearly ten minutes to return to Luca and Tidus was eagerly awaiting the results of the tournament. He was terrified they had taken too long and the game had been tied or worse, that the Aurochs really were as bad as they say. Both he and Yuna sighed heavily in relief as the sphere screen near Dock four displayed the results; They had won 3:2.

"We won!" He pumped his fist into the air victoriously, suddenly realizing how guilty he would have felt had they lost.

"We did it! We're in the finals!" Tidus laughed as Yuna clapped he hands together excitedly, looking the happiest he had ever seen her. He let his eyes linger on her a while longer, feeling heart speed up a little at her smile but he was shaken out of his daze as a cold voice floated across the air.

"Not the most...graceful win. If it was Chappu, he'd still be standing." Lulu nodded her head to the screen as Wakka was shown being led out of the dome with his team. He was leaning heavily on Datto holding his side in obvious pain, but as he noticed the camera pan his way he smiled and waved.

He had not been graceful in his victory, but he had won. Tidus felt a spark of anger ignite in him at her cruelty and for a moment he was reminded of his father.

"Hey, aren't you being just a little unfair? He did it didn't he?" He snapped at her.

"Excuse me?" A small snarl had appeared on her face at his brazen remark and slowly Yuna began inching her way between them.

"Wakka's not Chappu and It's not like he would ever try to take his pl-" He was cut off as she threw him her most venomous glare.

"You don't want to finish that sentence." She growled and turned away, heading back into the center of the dome. Yuna gave him an apologetic look and he felt himself calm down; this wasn't the time for this, the next match would be starting soon and he had to get ready. He gave her a quick smile and they headed towards the locker room, Tidus in front and Kimari behind, both keeping the summoner in reach.

--------------------------------------

_Ohhh....it hurts...._

"Sure you're all right, Cap'n?" He shifted his eyes to Datto, who was hovering a few feet away with the rest of the team. They had all been ecstatic at the win against the Al Bhed Psychs but fifteen minutes later it had worn off as Wakka still lay pathetically on the bench. He lifted his arm and gave them a shaky thumbs up. _Oh even that hurts...._

The team gave each other a worried look, Letty speaking next. "The game starts in a few minutes. You sure you okay?"

"We're playing the Goers next, too." Jessu moaned. That was it, he couldn't just lie there while his team gave up. He pushed himself up, ignoring his screaming muscles and grabbed a blitzball lying nearby. Standing sent rush of dizziness threading through him and he dropped the ball, falling back down onto the bench. He watched it roll away, coming to a stop in front of a pair of yellow and black sneakers that expertly kicked it up into the hands of their youthful owner.

"Miss me?" He smirked tossing the ball to Lussu. Seeing the blond sent a rush of relief through him, which was followed by gratitude as Yuna stepped into the room after him. The team gave an audible sigh of relief as the summoner came into view and they all bowed in thanks, except for Wakka who probably couldn't have managed it if the grand maester himself came waltzing in.

"Lady Yuna!"

"Are you okay?" The team hovered anxiously, relaxing a bit when she nodded.

"All this because of me. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She bowed deeply, not in prayer but apology. Wakka relaxed a bit knowing she was here now, safe with them and far away from the irreligious Al Bhed.

"How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" He didn't put any force behind his words, merely stating it as it was, a question. Yuna didn't look at him, but instead glanced over at Tidus; she didn't say anything but the boy seemed to understand anyway.

He gave Wakka an indifferent yet almost cold look as he responded. "Hey, let it go, all right?"

He didn't like the fact that they might be hiding something from him, but it was overruled by the nagging feeling that the two had gotten just a bit closer since coming to Luca, which was a problem in itself. "Hmph, don't go near Al Bhed any more, okay? They're trouble."

She nodded slightly and turned back to Tidus, talking quietly with him. He smiled, tilting his head to the side as they spoke and Wakka found himself desperately trying to catch what they were saying. One last nod and Yuna left with Kimarhi, who had been guarding the door. Tidus turned back to the team, his trademark grin back in place and Wakka's doubts were shoved to the back of his mind, replaced by lighter thoughts.

_Huh, he really does look like Chappu when he does that...._

"Alright, the game starts soon. No time for warm-ups. Ready?" He stood up as the team came forward, pushing aside helping hands.

"Lemme at 'em." Tidus cried. The boys enthusiasm was contagious and the team relaxed, their confidence returning as Wakka smiled back.

"All right," He turned to look at the Aurochs, a serious look playing on his face, "I got something to tell you boys. After this game... I'm retiring. I promised myself this would be my last tournament. Win or lose, I'm quitting blitzball. But you know... Since we're here, we might as well win!"

"Yeah!" They all pumped they're fist in the air, none surprised at the captains announcement.

"Uh," Botta stepped forward nervously. "A-Am I on the bench?"

"I'm warming the bench," He grabbed Tidus and pulled him forward, "he's taking my place. Be nice, ya?" They all snickered at that, nodding in understanding,

"All right, boys, let's win this one! Let's make the Goers goners!"

"Yeah!"

-------------------------------------

The team had left ten minutes ago, but Wakka was still exhausted from the last game and couldn't bring himself to find a sphere screen scattered about. He was just too sore, even after the potion he had just consumed.

"I saw you floating there, on the sphere." The voice had an uncustomary warmth to it, surprising him before the words set in. He stood and turned to look at her, shaking his head nervously.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that," He sighed stepping forward. The dizziness returned at full force and he felt himself falling into a warm embraced, blackness dancing at the edge of his vision.

"You really gave it your all, didn't you?"

------------------------------

"This is it, folks! In just a few minutes, the championship game!" All throughout Luca, spectators were glued to the screens scattered around. No one had predicted this. To many thought the outcome was predictable, but still they watched in awe as the teams assembled by the blitz sphere. Back in the locker room, Lulu helped Wakka out the door to the waiting area to watch the game as he left his last legacy carved into the paint of the captains locker.

_My best memories are here ~ Wakka, Captain of the Besaid Aurochs._

"But who could have imagined... a championship game between these two teams? Our legendary Luca Goers going against... the horrendously ill-fated Besaid Aurochs!"

People are talking eagerly, a few even placing bets on the outcome. A man in a long red coat walks up the stairs into the spectator stands, apathetically watching the teams enter the sphere.

"This looks like history in the making, Bobba."

The man smiles finding a deeper humor in those words. History indeed.

--------------------------------

Tidus stood, well floated in the sphere pool in a face off, the Aurochs behind him and the Goers in front. Bickson swam forward, holding out his hand for a shake, but when he went forward as well, the man balled his hand into a fist a took a swing him. Tidus snarled at him as he dodged and swung back; as he swam back to his previous position a muffled voice came from outside the sphere.

"They're already going at it, folks! The Goers are taunting the Aurochs!" The Goers laughed as both teams took the starting position. A ball had been placed in the middle of the sphere and when the starter bell rang it was thrown up into the air. Tidus and Bickson raced to get it but the older man reached it first and the game had begun. there was a flurry of movement as both teams raced around the sphere, tackling each other in an attempt to the ball. It only took a minute for Tidus to realize that the Auroch didn't understand half his commands and instead focused on getting the ball and passing it to him. He growled in frustration as the Goers scored the first goal.

"What a great play! The Goers score first!"

Once more the ball was being thrown, stolen and passed around. Tidus spotted Letty as the man held the ball to his chest as he was being tackled by two members of the opposing team. He swam to the left and signaled for the man to pass it over, which he thankfully understood. He caught the ball with ease and swam frantically to the Goers side. As he was confronted with three members of the team, he decided to try out his fathers move. He used each of the three members as posts, bouncing the ball off them to shoot. He could hear the fans (all of them) cheer as the Aurochs scored their fist goal. They had repositioned when the a loud ring signified half-time and both teams left the sphere and returned to the lockers.

Wakka was waiting for them as they returned, looking much better then before and he took no time to start coaching them. "Zone defense, boys! Stop those Goers!"

"Cap'n!" They were not losing and it was doing wonders for the their spirits.

"What about me?" Tidus asked as the previous comment had been directed at the rest of the team.

"Get the ball and just shoot like crazy!"

"Goers are goin' down!" Datto cried causing an uproar of cheer form everyone.

"All right! Hustle!"

---------------------------------

As they re-entered the sphere the stands erupted in a loud cheer as the announcers took no time revealing something no one had thought possible.

"The crowd is cheering for the Aurochs! Isn't this exciting?" His tone suggested that he too was supporting them.

Once the game started again, Tidus realized he had several tails watching him, blocking his every move and preventing anyone from passing to him. He vainly tried to shake them off, but the Goers had come to understand that he was the biggest threat in this game. After a few minutes of this the fans had become impatient and once more the commentary floated down into the sphere pool.

"The fans are getting impatient! They're calling for some action!"

"Everyone seems to be calling for Wakka, folks!" The game had stopped and Tidus thought a moment before swimming off to the sphere's exit and out of the pool. He felt left out, but he understood that this was their game, not his. "Say...Where is that player going? He's leaving the sphere pool! He may be injured!"

As he reached the locker room watched Wakka head out to the pool, giving a short wave as he left.

------------------------------

"I wonder what's happening? The crowd is going wild!" The cameras searched coming to a stop as the red haired man swam into the sphere pool. "Ah! It's Wakka! He's back on the field and ready to go! The Aurochs seem glad to have him back."

Tidus watched as the Aurochs continued the game, noting the difference in the way they cued each other. Few signals remained the same form his time, these being much simpler then his. In Zanarkand each team had their own set of gestures to indicated the game play, this kept the other teams from knowing what moves you were going to make next. In Spira everyone used the same set signals, probably to ensure a fair and easy to direct game. Tidus turned his attention back to the game as Wakka received the ball from Datto and dodged a tackle, making his way to the other side of the sphere. Only thirty seconds left, Wakka took the shot and GOAL! The stands erupted in the loudest cry he had ever heard from the small amount of people in the stands.

"Unbelievable! The Aurochs win, folks! This is one for the record books!"

Tidus entered the pool, high fiving Wakka as he came over. The rest of the team had left and as the two turned to leave they heard a very different cry come from the stands. They watched people run panicky from the dome as large fiends flooded the area, attacking anyone in sight. The pair swam out into the chaos, But without his sword, he could nothing but watch as Wakka tried haplessly to defend those still trying to escape. When everyone on their side had been evacuated, the pair exited themselves coming to a panicked stop as they watched all of Luca under attack. A flash of red caught Tidus`attention and he watched a familiar figure take out a fiend with his katana.

"Auron!" Tidus felt relief flood through him at the sight of his mentor, feeling a little less vulnerable with his new company.

"Sir Auron!" Wakka was momentarily stunned at the sight of the legendary guardian, one who had been missing for more then ten years. The man turned to look a the pair and with a nod of his head, signaled for them to join him. Even with the combine efforts of the tow men, they soon found themselves surrounded by the large fiends. Auron moved in front of Tidus as he kept the flat end of the sword leveled as a makeshift shield. As the fiend readied an attack a gasp came from all around as a huge creature appeared before them.

The creatures body, albeit large, was terribly thin taking on the appearance of a starved human. Its skin was brown and leathery, its long, thin arms clutched at itself, almost protectively; a smaller set of arms could be seen wrapping themselves around it neck, holding a metal tag. Jagged canines stretched out of its mouth, which was to only part of its face that could be seen as a large cloth-like hood covered the rest of its head, with the exception of one eye. The creature let out an almost human-like sob as red energy gathered around the one eye, which was released, hitting one of the many fiends scattered about. The fiend died instantly and the creature repeated the attack, hitting every fiend and killing it immediately. As the attack ensued, the creatures cry's became more frequent and pained, as blood seeped out of it eye and down its face like tears.

Behind it, Seymour Guado could be seen concentrating, moving his hand in tune with its attacks, like he was controlling it. Like it was an Aeon. The man looked over at the group of three and with another flick, the fiend facing Wakka was torn apart. Another flick, the Zu above them was shot down. Auron swung down on the remaining fiend, destroying it before the summon could. Tidus looked over at the Maester, meeting the mans cold eyes and small smile before the maester turned away, focusing on the few remaining fiends left. Rough hands grabbed at his attention as Auron led him away.

-----------------------------

It had been two hours since the attack on the stadium and the miraculous rescue by the Guado Maester and his Aeon. Wakka stood in Luca square, holding the crystal cup and facing his unusually quiet team.

"You really leavin', Cap'n?" Datto asked breaking the painful silence. "Shouldn't you heal up first?"

Wakka shook his head, responding just as they knew he would. "Yuna needs me with her now. I can't be lying around in some bed."

"But-"

"Come on, look sharp! The blitz season just started. Don't make those faces, ya?" He handed the trophy to the Letty, who handled it awkwardly, like a child. "Well... See you, boys! You be good."

"Cap'n..." The team kept their eyes to the ground and Wakka couldn't stand it anymore. They had won, their first win in ten years and this is how they were going act.

"I can't hear you!"

"CAP'N!" The team smiled as he he nodded in approval and left, unaware as their faces fell once more.

He made his way up to the balcony that oversaw the city, where the rest of them were waiting. Well, what was left of them. Yuna walked over, having seen the exchange and gave him a concerned look.

"Are you sure?" She asked tentatively.

He nodded, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Never liked long goodbyes anyway. Sorry for making you wait, Yuna. I had some promises to keep, ya? From now on, I'm your full-time guardian."

"Then welcome back, Sir Wakka." She bowed deeply as she continued, "Good to have you with us."

"Hey..." He held out his hand to stop her bow, then realizing what he was doing, bowed sheepishly himself. "It's good to be back, ya?" He stood up with her and turned to Lulu, "so, any news on what happened?"

She shook her head as she spoke, "not really. We don't know where the fiends came from. Maester Mika is safe and sound, thanks to Maester Seymour. That's about it." He grunted, selfishly noting that at least they waited till the game was finished, his thoughts broken by Yuna.

"Maester Seymour's aeon... It was so powerful..."

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"Hey you! Don't stand there! All of this is your fault! Gettin' swallowed by Sin! Ending up here in Spira! Not being able to go back to Zanarkand--everything, everything! I'm telling you it's all your fault!" Tidus shouted at Auron as they stood alone on an empty dock. The man chuckled and turned away, his laugh becoming louder as the boy growled in frustration. Anger flared up inside him and it took all his self control not to hit the man. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to block out the mans voice as he calmed himself. After a few minutes, when he felt he could speak without yelling he turned back to his mentor.

"Who are you, anyway?" His voice came out sounding tired and quiet and though it appeared like the older man hadn't heard him, he knew better. Still, Auron gave no response.

"You knew my old man, didn't you?" Auron nodded and the boy continued, "and you also knew Yuna's father?"

"That's correct," frustration flared in him again at the man nonchalance.

"Hey, man, there's no way. That's just impossible!" His voice had gotten louder and the older man waited for the boy to calm himself before responding.

"Nothing impossible about it. Jecht, Braska and I...Together we defeated Sin ten years ago. Then I went to Zanarkand... where I watched over you. So that one day I could bring you to Spira." He spoke as though the answer was obvious to everyone but Tidus and he had to clench his teeth not to snap back at the man.

A million questions floated around in his head and the more he thought about it, more dejected he felt. When he responded, it was not how he had wanted to, but it seemed as though it was what Auron expected.

"Why did it have to be me?"

"Jecht asked me to." He kept his eyes level with Tidus' as he spoke, almost as if he were looking for a reaction to the mans name. Whether he got what he wanted or not, Tidus wasn't sure, but the man turned away and he thought that maybe he hadn't.

"He's...Is he alive?" The man didn't respond, nor did he turn back. They stood there in silence for a while and when he finally did speak, he did so quietly.

"It depends on what you mean by 'alive.' He is no longer human. But then... I felt something of Jecht, there in that shell... couldn't you? You must have felt him when you came in contact with Sin." He tone was laced with bemusement as he waited for the boy's comprehension.

Tidus froze, absorbing the information as his mind registered the meaning in the mans words. When it hit him, he actually stumbled back a bit, thankful of Aurons continued silence.

"It can't be..." _No, this must be joke...A...It can-_

"It is. Sin is Jecht." When Tidus didn't respond, he walked over and tilted the boys head up, meeting his clear blue eyes before repeating himself. "Sin is Jecht."

He pushed the other man away angrily. "No! That's ridiculous! No way! I don't believe you!"

The older man seemed unfazed by the boys reaction nodding his head as Tidus calmed himself again. "But it is the truth. You'll see for yourself. Come with me."

"If I say no?"

"Every story must have an ending." He turned to show him that he was serious.

"I don't care about your stories!" He was shouting again, but Auron didn't wait to respond.

"I see. Sorry you feel that way. Fine, then. Come or don't come. It's your decision." He walked away, only getting a few steps before the he was stopped by the boy frustrated shout.

"Rrrraaaaaaghhh! What am I supposed to say!? You tell me it's my decision...But I don't have a choice, do I? You're the only one who can tell me what's going on, anyways! I have to go with you! I have to!" His voice broke at the end, as tears filled his eyes. He felt one escape and quickly wiped it away before his mentor could see it.

"Irritating, I know. Or are you afraid?" He turned as he spoke and Tidus couldn't stop the tears as they rolled down his face. He bit his lip, trying to stop. He was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up as Auron moved his hand up to ruffle the boys hair. "It's all right." He spoke more gently this time as he waited for the boy to calm down.

"Auron?" He had stopped crying, but his voice still came out cracked. "Will I ever go home? Back to Zanarkand?"

"That's up to Jecht," he moved away, starting on his original trek then, looking back he called the boy over. "I'm going to offer my services to Yuna. Come."

Dejected, Tidus followed.

------------------------

"Do you think he's gonna stay here?" Wakka asked the group as they stood planning the next coarse of action.

"Sir Auron knows him, apparently. You were right. He did meet someone he knew." Lulu seemed relieved to have the boy gone, but Wakka was disappointed. He liked having the kid around.

"Do you think he'll find a way back to Zanarkand?" Yuna asked. Wakka shrugged, unable to answer. He didn't want to encourage Yuna's belief in the boys story, as even he had to admit it seemed a little...strange.

"In any case, I'll miss having him around."

"He's still in town, isn't he? I think I'll go see him..." Wakka went to stop Yuna as she headed back into Luca, to remind her that they didn't have much time, when she stopped on her own. "Oh!"

They all turned, shock registering on their faces as Auron walked over to them, followed by less then enthusiastic Tidus. They all prayed before the man, no one noticing that he didn't bow back.

"Yuna." He turned to the young summoner, surprising her.

"Sir?"

"I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?" Yuna let out a small gasp, unable to respond immediately.

"You're serious?" Wakka chided himself as he spoke, but this was...

"You refuse?"

"No, no! We accept! Right, everyone?" Yuna turned to her team, who all nodded furiously, except for Kimarhi.

"O-Of course! No problem at all!" Wakka stumbled forward, trying to think of a way to apologize for speaking earlier, but Auron just shook it off.

Lulu also stepped forward, "but...why?"

Auron didn't even blink a the question, seemingly expecting it, as well as everything else that had been said and done. "I promised Braska."

"You promised my father..?" Yuna seemed lost for a moment and Auron waited patiently for her next response. "Thank you, Sir Auron! You're welcome to join us!" She bowed once more and the man motioned for her to stand back up.

"And..." He grabbed the forgotten Tidus and thrust him forward, "He comes too."

Tidus stumbled, surprised by the action and looked up at the party sheepishly. "Uh...Hi..."

"This one I promised Jecht." Tidus lowered his head at this, but Yuna looked up a the older man hopefully.

"Is Sir Jecht alive?"

He shrugged, moving passed the summoner to Lulu. "Can't say. Haven't seen him in ten years." He stopped and thought a moment, responding quietly. "You'll meet eventually."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it!" Yuna beamed, but faltered as she saw Tidus flinch.

He continued on, whispering to Tidus as he passed, "remember, you're suffering from Sin's toxin. Don't say otherwise." then louder he asked Lulu. "What's our itinerary? Where are we headed?"

--------------------------

Tidus was pulled out of thought as he felt a familiar hand close on his arm, pulling him away. "Hey! Come with me!" Yuna pulled him over to the railing and put her fingers to her mouth whistling loudly.

"Hey, you got pretty good." He tried to smile, but the look on her face said she wasn't buying it.

"You sound...sad," She leaned over concerned.

"Yeah, maybe," He turned away . He didn't want to share what he knew with anyone, but especially her.

"Wanna scream?" A slight playfulness covered her concern and she gave him a small smile.

He was glad she was trying to cheer him up but he couldn't find it in him to do it. "Nnnn...I really don't think that's going to help this time."

They were silent for a while before she spoke up, "you know what?"

"Hmm?" He was lost in thought, thinking about Kilika and Sin's attack there. She tugged lightly on his arm to get his attention, continuing when she knew she had it.

"It's embarrassing to say this myself... But summoners and their guardians are kind of like Spira's ray of light. A lot of people in Spira depend on us. I learned to practice smiling when I'm feeling sad, you know?" She gave him another small smile, but it faltered when she looked him in the eyes and noticed how red they were. "I know it's hard..."

"Yeah... I understand. I think." His voice was distant and she wanted bring back the cheer he had before.

"Right, now let's see what you can do!" She laughed when he started, giving her a confused look.

"Come on!"

"Uh... ah..." He tried to force a smile unsuccessfully, then broke into a real one. "This is weird!"

"Next, try laughing out loud!" She smiled as her plan seemed to work.

He gave her a weird look, still smiling. "What?"

"Come on, show me!"

"Mmmm..." He took a deep breath then, "Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha. Aaaaah... ah ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

She jumped a little at how loud it was, hearing the note of frustration he put into it and thought maybe it would be best to stop. "You probably shouldn't laugh anymore."

He ignored her and continued, "Ah ha hahahaha!" She giggled, pleased that is sounded a bit less angry. "Ahahahahahaha!"

He smiled at her invitingly and she drew with him, joining him in his forced laughter. "Ah... ha ha ha ha ha ha HA!" They both burst into real laughter, tears streaming down their faces and it took a few minutes before they could calm down.

"Too funny!" She wiped away the tears, trying not to start back up.

"It was your idea!" He was breathless, but his voice was light, like it had been before.

She turned away. "Um...thank you."

"Hm, for what?"

"I want my journey to be full of laughter." She smiled back at him and he nodded. She turned away before continuing. "If we should get separated, just whistle. I'll come running. I promise."

"Hm." He gave her a long look, then turned away but she understood the message. _If you whistle I'll be there, I'll come. I promise._

"Well lets get going!" They turned away, startled as they group watched them wearily. "What?"

"We were just worried you guys might've gone crazy!" Wakka's voice had a slight edge to it that suggested he wasn't entirety joking.

"Sorry!" Yuna bowed happily, "Well then, alright. Now, we go to the temple at Djose. And guardians? Don't forget to smile!"

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**Sorry, a bit rushed as it's thanksgiving and I have to go help clean. Thanks for reading! Once more, the next chapter should be out shortly, unless something weird comes up. Love you all!  
**


	11. Missing Something

**I'm so sorry this chapter took so long to come out! (please don't kill me) To make matters worse, it's kinda... is very short, but this part of the game is probably the most BORING one in the whole game.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I figure I need to add that I own nothing including the story, characters, ect... you know, just in case someone thinks I'm making something off of this.  
**

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A stairway located not far from balcony overlooking Luca led to the Mi'ihen Highroad. The large Highway consisted of a wide, long dirt road that seemingly led to nowhere; but of course it led somewhere. On either side of it lay grassy hills and remnants of buildings from a long ago past that poked out of the ground much like they had at Besaid. Overall Tidus' first and only opinion of the Mi'ihen Highroad?

Boring.

Few people could be seen traversing it and as it was explained to him, due to the fact that this was a frequently used road, the crusaders took care of most of the fiends. So an hour into the walk Tidus could honestly say he had never been more bored in his life. They had run into a total of three fiends all day and Auron was quick to finish them off, leaving no room for Tidus to burn off some of his slowly accumulating energy. As much as he wanted to run off and explore some of the larger ruins or even just run to burn off some energy, sharp looks from Auron kept him in his place. Frustrated with their seemingly deliberate slow pace he glanced around hopefully for a distraction, smiling as he spotted one. An elderly man stood longingly in front of some particularly large ruins, but turned as the summons party approached. Slowly Tidus made his way to the edge of the party, hope playing on his knowledge of just how much old people liked to talk; he was not disappointed.

"Do you know what those ruins are from?" The man didn't seem to be talking to any of them in particular, but Tidus took it as a question pointed directly at him.

His smiled widened as he felt the heat of Auron glare; the older man knew exactly what Tidus was doing. Feigning ignorance he responded, "some old city?"

"Correct. A city most ancient! A terrible testament to Sin's power. I tremble every time I see them. Compared to Sin, humans are mere mudpuppies!" The mans gaze shifted and Tidus turned to see Yuna walk up beside him.

"But I believe humans are the only ones capable of defeating Sin." Her voice held a tone of desperation that almost made the blond flinch. He didn't want her to get upset.

The man smiled, appearing relieved at the summoner's words. "A good reply. I am relieved to hear you say that, m'lady summoner...Ahh!

"Where are my manners? I am Maechen, a scholar. At your service, m'lady. I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets...." The man paused as he shook Yuna's hand, glancing briefly at the others. "My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I have seen. Fragile smiles on people's faces crumbling at the mere mention of Sin. They are counting on you, m'lady. Give them a reason to rejoice once more."

Giving the scholar a warm smile she gave a short nod.

"I will." With that the group continued forward.

"...Hmph..." Tidus sighed heavily as they started back on course, rolling his eyes as Auron shot him another glare. The man treated him like a child, constantly reprimanding him for just about everything but he had to admit it was good to have him back. Though just about everything he thought he knew about the man seemed to prove wrong, he was still his only connection to home. In the end he had to admit that overall he just felt better having his mentor nearby, keeping an eye out for him. If anything, Auron would keep him from doing something stupid...again.

"Pay attention." A gruff voice pulled Tidus away from his thoughts and he turned to offer his own glare at the man.

_Pay attention? Pay attention to what? To the one fiend that might just happen to walk by that you would get anyway?_

The older man flashed him an amused warning. Rolling his eyes, he pulled his attention back to the road. Another ten minutes passed before they happened upon an unusual (at least to him) sight. Three people, two woman and a scrawny looking man, were talking a little ways away as they sat upon bright yellow birds. It took Tidus a moment to recognize them as chocobo's. He hadn't seen those in years, not since he had wandered across a fair when he was ten and saw them preforming in one of the tents. Instead of colored scarfs, these chocobo's wore shiny steel armor that covered their heads and necks. The three people, crusaders by the look of them, sat on leather saddles speaking quietly amongst themselves. They turned as the party approached them.

"Lady Summoner, I presume?" The three stood at attention, saluting the party in a similar fashion as Gatta had when he explained the Crusaders to him.

"Yes, I am Yuna." She bowed quickly to them.

"I am Lucil, captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights." Tidus tilted his head as he examined the captain. From the bright red hair to the purple jumpsuit that refused to cover her legs, she looked nothing like what he would have expected from such a title.

"And I'm Elma. We've been charged to guard the Highroad." The next girl spoke up and he thought she looked more the part then he captain. She wore red and brown leathers and white skirt that did a little better in hiding her legs. The only thing that seemed amiss was the crown of colored beads that she wore around her short black hair.

"There have been reports of a large fiend appearing in this area, with a taste for chocobos. Do take care, Summoner Yuna, if you are to rent any chocobos." Lucil may not have looked the part, but she held a strong authoritative voice.

Yuna bowed once more, "thank you. We will be careful."

Lucil gave the girl a curt nod before turning back to her party. "Good. We should get back to our rounds. Farewell."

"Our prayers are with you." Elma waved at them as the two-three members raced off. It hadn't occurred to Tidus until they left that they hadn't been introduced to the last member of their group.

But even as his mind touched down on the subject it was pulled away to a more enticing one.

"A large fiend...Let's go get him!" He flinched as Auron gave him a hard look, but shook it off as he turned to look at the rest of the party. With the exception of Yuna, they all gave him the same questioning look. Turning back to Auron, he gave the man a look that screamed challenge.

Sighing the man gave in. "Why?"

"It's the right thing to do." _How could anyone argue with that?_

"It's the right thing to do?" Instead of the rebuff he was expecting, Auron started laughing. When the rest of the group gave him the same mixed look of utter confusion, he explained. "Jecht said that a lot, too. And every time he said it, it meant trouble for Braska and me."

Still chuckling Auron started back on their path, giving Tidus his unspoken permission.

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Twenty minutes later, the rush of emotions that had come from winning the argument had worn off and Tidus was back to fidgeting as they walked. He had just started a new game of 'trying to see how long he could kick a rock' when Yuna changed course and walked over to a clearing situated to the right. Standing their was a woman wearing a long green robe, similar to the ones the priests in the temples wore.

"Ah, a summoner party." She bowed before them and Yuna bowed back.

"You, too, are a summoner?" She asked timidly.

"My name is Belgemine. You are...?"

"My name is Yuna."

"Ah, the high summoner's daughter. I've heard much of you. But you are still fresh on the road, are you not?" Tidus felt a sting of annoyance flash through him as he once again wondered if anyone knew Yuna by anything but her father.

"Yes, I am." Despite her polite tone, he thought he heard the same feelings hidden beneath.

If Belgemine noticed she gave no sign, "I might have a few things to teach you." She smiled gently at Yuna's surprise. "Let us see which are stronger. My aeons or yours. A one-on-one match. Not to the death, of course. What do you say?"

Yuna looked back at her guardians and with a small nod from Lulu, responded to the summoners request.

"I'll do my best."

A rough hand pulled Tidus away as the challenge begun, Belgamine summoning Ifrit and Yuna Valefor. Tidus gasped as Ifrit came forward; as Valefor conveyed a strange gentleness, Ifrit seemed to radiate raw anger. In appearance, it suggested a mix between a wolf and a human, it's muscular body a dark red as flames licked off it. Tidus briefly wondered if the summoner would be burned standing so close to it.

The battle lasted barely ten minutes and in the end Tidus wasn't sure who had won. Both Aeons were whisked away as the guardians returned to their summoner, though more out of curiosity then protectiveness.

"-id well. You show promise. With more training, you could defeat Sin." A light blush crept up onto Yuna's fair cheeks at the older woman's praise.

"Thank You!" Shaking her head at the outburst, she composed herself before continuing. "But I think you might defeat Sin before I am able to."

"I cannot." Yuna looked up curiously at the woman's response, a slight tilt of her head conveying question.

"Or should I say...I was not able to." Her eyes widened in surprise. Confused, Tidus glanced around at his party members, seeing the same expression reflected on their faces_...Hmph, except of Auron of course._

"You mean..."Yuna's voice came out almost shaky as new emotion flicked in her eyes. Confused, Tidus turned to Wakka but the older man just shook his head, a silent plea not to press the matter.

"Farewell, Yuna. We'll meet again." The woman stayed there watching as once more the group assumed their position, continuing down the road. Tidus glanced back at the summoner as thoughts conquered his mind and once more he was struck with the feeling that there was something very imortant that he was missing here. He'd been feeling that more and more lately.

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**I know this chapter was super short, but right now it's all I can release. Been so busy lately, looking for a job, doctor appointments, ect... Next chapter is also dialogue heavy but I promise this will be the shortest any chapter will ever be in this story (except for the prolgue and maybe the epilogue) I know you guys probably hate me right now, but I promise the next chapter will come out sooner.**


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